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PRICE, $85.00. 10 BORE, EXTRA, $5.00. 


SEND FOR DESCRIPTIVE CIRd'EAR. 


“The Far Killing Duck Gun.” 

PRICE, $125.00. 10 BORE, EXTRA, $5.00. 

Treble, Wedge Fast Action, Full Choke, for Pigeon 
and Duck Shooting. No Gun in the World its 
Equal, for the Price asked. 



‘‘Chohe Bore Guns and IIoio to Load^^’’ 250 pages, by 
\W W. Greener. Publisher’s Price $3.00. I have 100 of 


these l)ooks, which I will send post paid on receipt of $1.00. 
10 Cents Extra if Registered. 


4 



Dedicated by Special Permission to Dr. N. Rowe, Mohawk^ 

Editor ‘‘Chicago Field.” 


TH 


A 




GUN 


AND HOW TO USE IT 


TO 


KILL EVERY FAIR WING SHOT. 


Advice to Young Sjgovtsmen^ on Shooting^ Hunting^ 
and Prevention of Accidents with Gims, Objections to 
Plunge-Traps^ and Class Pigeon Shooting. New Code of 
Rules for Ground-Trap Shooting^ and Instructions for 
Handicapping. Care and Management of Pigeons^ etc., 
and Records of the Principal Ground-Trap Matches in 1 880 ^ 


BY 




GWYNNE PRICE 

ENGLISH HUNTER, 

t 

St. Louis Sportsmen’s Club, St. Louis, Mo., U. S. A. 

Who contested with Capt. Bogardus for the Championship of 
^ the World Gold Medal, at Indianapolis and St. louis 
^ i^ 1S76; and defeated him at St. Louis 

10 * * V ^ 1880. 




‘I 


S5 OEIISTTS- 


‘ May be had through any bookseller, or sent free by mail, on re- 
ceipt of 25 cents currency or stamps, to Gwynne Price, 

St. Louis, Mo. 


PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 
St. Louis, Mo. 




For Sale also by the American News Co., 39 and 41 Chambers Street 7 

New York. 

COPYRIGHT 1881, By G WYNNE PRICE. 


:> i'v f 




G" V' / 1 5 3 

7T3 

TO THE READER 

This book is dedicated by special permission to the greatest 
sporting authority in the Western States, Dr. N. Rowe, Mohawk^ 
Editor “Chicago Field,” by whose kindly encouragement I was 
induced to enlarge and publish what was only intended for the 
amusement of a few sporting friends. 

It is not supposed to take the place of many large, expensive 
and beautifully got up works of a somewhat similar character, 
such as Bogardus’ '•''Fields Cove?' and Trap Shooting^ and 
others, written by authors of eminence, and published at a price 
that they can only be found- in the carpeted library of high class 
sportsmen. 

Many true lovers of the Shot Gun are to be met with in cities, 
and on the small farms of the Western Prairies, who shoot, and 
shoot again, and do not know the reason why they do not kill, 
simply because they cannot afford to buy expensive books on 
gunning, so as to get the experience of others, and cause them to 
think for themselves. 

W. W. Judy, the great Game Commission Merchant of St. 
Louis, himself a fine trap and field shot, says: Every man 

that owns a gun should have your little book^ and every dealer 
that sells one^ should present a copy to his customer T It is 
published at 25 cents, so that every man that owns a gun may 
have it and perhaps derive some little benefit from the hints and 
experience of a great lover of the shot-gun, who, having first 
seen light on the 5th of November, has never since, been more 
happy than when within the smell of gunpowder. I would 
casually mention that I have never read any book on hunting 
or shooting, not even my friend Bogardus’ work, so that what I 
have written is simply my own experience and observation. 

It can therefore be said, like the workman that made the 
wardrobe, made it out of his own head^ and had stujf enough 

left to fnake another T 

Very simple language has been used, so that all can under- 
stand what they read, and because having been dragged up' at the 
plow-tail, I know no other. 

Very faithfully, 

GWYNNE PRICE. 


THE GUN. 

And How to Use it to Kill Every Fair Wing Shot. 


Very few persons using the shot-gun that I have met with, 
seem to attach sufficient importance to the requirements neces- 
sary to make good wing practice, as their attention has not 
been drawn to the absolute .necessity of carefully studying the 
allowance to be made in shooting for dista7ice^ flighty windage^ 
face and fosition^ whether binder or over the level of the 
gun, etc., etc. 

It is generally thought that in order fo ensure a kill you 
should be dead 07z the object ; but no greater mistake can be 
made, for unless your bird is going straight away and on the 
same level as yourself, to be dead 07z really means to be dead off. 

My attention was never drawn so particularly to this subject 
until I began to shoot pigeons from a ground-trap. The birds 
if really good, generally fly very low, and it could easily be 
observed whether the shot struck above.^ below., right or left of 
the mark ; and as I shoot with both eyes open, I could see 
what was the reason if I missed, and it required very little 
common sense to adopt a remedy. 

The handling of a gun is to be compared only to the deli- 
cate manipulation of tlie strings or keys of a musical instrument, 
and can only be acquired artistically by those vyho are almost 
borTz to it. 

t 

The earlier a gun is placed in the hands of a youth, the more 
likely is he to become expert, and such a proficient in the art 


4 


'of shooting, as to feel the extraordinary sensations of pleasure 
experienced only by those who are able to excel in any profes- 
sion they engage in. 

As a rule the sportsman whose ordinary calling is of a 
light and delicate nature, is most likely to use his gun ele- 
gantly ; but it does not at all follow that he possesses tbe steady 
nerve so essential to a good shot. 

It, is^ very easy to give instruction and advice on marksman- 
shijD ; but there are times when the very best shots fail in car- 
rying out the system which they well know is requisite, and 
often shoot impulsively without being able to prevent it, well 
aware before the trigger is pulled that they will be sure to miss 
the object. 

/ 

Pigeon shooting from the trap is most excellent practice for 
a beginner, after he can handle his gun easily, particularly if 
he shoots before a crowd of people, as it steadies his nerves, 
and he can observe how the more accomplished gunners per- 
form ; but it is rather expensive amusement if indulged in often. 
Glass-ball shooting costs very little ; care should, however, be 
used in selecting the trap throwing the ball most like the flight 
of a bird. 

Many fine game shots are at first very deficient at the trap, 
simply because they are nervous in company; but I never yet 
saw a good trap shot that could not do fair execution in the 
field after very little experience. 

My readers must not suppose that I do not miss many shots ; 
but when I do, I am always ready to admit that it was my 
own fault, and not from a defect in the gun ; although I often 
hear shooters declare if they have missed, that they were dead 
071 their bird, when I have noticed the shot was awfully wide 
of the mark, and they are ever ready with an excuse, blaming 
either the maker of their gun, or the quality of the powder. 

It is far easier, I candidly confess, to preach than to practice ; 

and I would say to my friends in the language of a Clergyman 

in the old country, not possessed of a particularly high moral 

character : 

** 

Do as I say^ not as I do,'** 


Always use the very best of ammunition, powder and wads 
more especially; the extra game killed will far more than com- 
pensate for the difference in cost — but remember use plenty of 
powder. 

A lo bore gun will take 5 drams of powder and oz. of 
shot, without recoil; and a 12 bore 4 drams of powder and ij 
oz. of shot, if of 9 or 10 lbs. weight, and held firmly in the 
hand. If your gun rebound unpleasantly, reduce the charge of 
shot a little. 

Soft felt wads will be found best for muzzle-loading guns, 
as they are more easily rammed down when the barrel becomes 
foul. 

I would most emphatically impress upon all young shots that 
with a moderately good gun a few yards in distance is of little 
consequence, and that it is far better to wait until you can get . 
proper aim, than to fire random shots. 

A stray pellet may occasionally kill, but there is so much space 
around a small bird that it is quite twenty chances to one 
against killing, unless you are in the right direction, espe- 
cially with a choke bore gun. 

When a covey of birds rise together, the greatest quickness 
combined with steadiness is requisite, so as to select the two 
most advantageous chances. 

Never shoot wildly into them, or you may wound several 
without killing any. Each bird should be shot at as carefully 
as though only one was on the wing. 

If in company, you will, of course, select your birds from 
those on your own side, and your companion will take the 
like precaution. Be sure take the bird farthest from you for 
the first barrel, or it may be out of distance for your sec- 
ond, unless you are wonderfully quick, and it is a great 
saving of time and trouble to get two birds at one rise. 

Many times in my youthful days I have shot a couple of 
charges into a covey of 18 or 20 partridges, apparently so 
close together on the wing that a horse rug would have cov- 
ered the lot, and not a bird have I killed. 

No game should if practicable ever be shot at a less distance 
than 25 yards, and even then it will be almost useless for 


the table if the gun shoots closely. It is much better to 
wait, as at 35 yards the shot will cover a much larger 
space. 

It is a very bad habit to shoot at any object sitting, af- 
ter having once accustomed yourself to wing practice. It 
will be found much easier to kill flying shots, as the body 
is more exposed when the wings are extended, and the bird 
presents nearly^ twice the size. 

Occasionally it may be necessary to shoot game when perched, 
or on the ground, and in. doing so it will be best to level 
the gun below the mark, and steadily elevate it until the line 
is a little over the object, as the muzzle is likely to be 
lowered rather than raised in the action of pulling the trig- 
ger ; although most gun's being thickest at the breech and the 
rib highest at back, they will throw the shot rather over the 
direct line. A shooter will soon find what his gun does. 

When a bird rises, the eye or eyes, for some of the best 
shots keep both open^ should be steadily observing and fol- 
lowing the exact course of flight; the hands should act in 
the most perfect harmony with the eye and the will, and 
the gun will come to the eye instinctively. It must be 
brought up a little behind the object, and the motion in- 
creased until the sight is well in front, and the trigger pulled 
without the movement of the gun being stayed in the slight- 
est degree. The firmer the gun is held with both hands, 
the better, with the left haiid well forward^ so as to keep 
the exact position, and the less recoil will be felt. ( See 

front cover.) 

Should the bird be In front considerably over your level, 
take the sight a little underneath, and the bird will fly into 
the line of the shot. If going right or left follow the exact 
course until well ahead before firing. The farther off it is, 
and the swifter the flight, the greater allowance must there 
be made. For instance if at 20 or 25 yards, just in front 
of the bird’s head will be sufficient, if the motion of the 
gun is kept slightly increasing, whereas if the object be 50 or 
60 yards away and flying swiftly., in som6 cases two or even 
three feet ahead will not be too much, depending entirely 


7 


upon circumstances of which the gunner himself will be the 
best judge, after a little careful consideration. 

When I say ‘three or four feet, I mean what would ap- 
pear three or four feet at 6o yards, because an object four 
feet long at 6o yards does not appear over three feet, so 
that when shooting three feet ahead of a quartering fast fly- 
ing bird at 6o yards, you are really aiming between four 
and five feet in front of it. 

In order to become a good judge of distance, measure 
out say 30, 40, 50 and 60 yards at your own homestead, 
and often study it. 

‘I have heard shooters * say : ''''What a long shot ^ why that 
was yards when upon stepping it out, it was not really 50. 

The full of the trigger^ the quickfiess of the fowder^ of 
which the small gi*ain is said to be the best for snap shots, 
(although perhaps not quite so strong) have all to be con^ 
sidered, bearing in mind that three-fourths, if not more of 
the shots missed, are from being behind rather than in front. 

This remember and treasure up, as the greatest secret in 
shooting: Never allow your gun to he brought 2ifon a bird 
from above ^ or before it; but ahvays from behind if cross 
shots^ or below if rishzg shots. The course of flight being 
in direct opposition to the znotion of the gun.^ unless that 
instruction is followed.^ it zvozild reqziire at least double al- 
lowance to be made., azid even then I very much questiozi un- 
less in very experienced hazzds., whether one shot in twenty 
would be effective. 

Two opposing motions in machinery produce awful conse- 
quences ; and in the same degree in gunnery, it is hardly pos- 
sible to calculate the effect of the flight of a bird being 
opposed to the movement of the gun. 

The greatest care should also be used that the gun is 
held level, so that the line from the eye in taking sight 
should be along the centre of the rib., from the screw at 
breech to the sight on muzzle. 

With ground game the same principle applies more or 
less, remembering that whereas with birds above your level go- 
ing right axvay^ you shoot under them ; hares or rabbits 


8 


and even birds near the ground being below your level, it 
is requisite to be well over them, carefully calculating whether 
it is rising or falling ground, and with side shots be well 
in front as explained before. 

If a hare or rabbit is crossing you in brush or timber, and 
you only just get a sight, snap shoot three or four feet in 
front of where you saw it, and you will be almost sure to 
find that you have killed. So with a wood-cock, shoot af- 
ter him in the direction he was taking, although you have 
lost sight, for being a very soft bird, a single pellet may 
kill him at 50 or 60 yards. It will be found to answer very 
often. 

I have observed that in the field and also at the trap, 
many good shots miss a larger proportion of right quarter- 
ing birds than when going to the left. 

Several reasons suggest themselves. The shooter stands with 
his left foot forward, consequently it is easier for him to 
turn to the left than to the right, more especially with a cor- 
pulent person. 

Again, the left hand being held most forward along the 
barrel, it has greater command of the gun than the trigger 
hand ; and the pressure of the finger in pulling the trigger 
is very apt to stay the motion of the gun in right hand 
shots. 

You scarcely ever see a missed right hand bird, but which 
is lost from shooting behind it. 

In trap shooting, I think it well to cover the No. 4 trap, instead 
of No. 3 ; it is as easy to wheel 15 yards to the left, as it is 5 
yards to the right. Hold the gun firmly, and shoot more forward 
at the right quartering birds than others. Remember this partic- 
ularly, that with side birds, there is lots of time to get good, 
certain aim, before firing, for the bird is not getting further from 
you as he would if going straight away, and a quartering bird is 
the easiest shot possible, with proper care and steadiness. 

Since writing the above, a remarkable confirmation of this 
occurred in the Bogardus-Hauworth plunge trap match, at St. 
Louis. Bogardus was one bird ahead at the ninety-eighth 
round, and offered $100 to a dollar that he would win the 


9 




match. Both having killed in the next round, and Hauworth in 
front having killed his bird, Bogardus had to score his last bird 
to win. He got a very fast bird, well up in the air, half quarter- 
ing to the right and fast rising; just the most difficult of all 
shots to kill ; and although being at 2 1 yards rise, he took plenty of 
time, but shooting as would be most likely the case, slightly 
behind the bird, although striking him with one or two shots 
through the rump, being favored by the wind he carried it right 
over, and lost Bogardus the match,^the result being a tie of 92. 
It was somewhat singular also that Bogardus killed 21 left 
quartering birds, but missed three right quarterers, and Hauworth 
killed 21 left quarterers, but missed four to the right, neither 
having missed a left hand shot. 

The more trouble bestowed upon these little matters the better ; 
and the best judge of distance and pace will be the most successful 
in making a good bag. 

I have generally found that the fastest flying birds are, the 
duck, teal, and some quail. 

The snipe and prairie chicken fly swiftly when with a strong 
wind ; but snipe, it hunted down wind, which they always should 
be, will generally turn against it ; and then they present the very 
easiest side shots of any bird I have ever met with. 

Most young sportsmen are afraid to hunt jack snipe, because 
they have been told it is a difficult bird to kill. Generally they 
are found in the open, and although they wobble about a good 
deal when they first rise, let them get 15 or 20 yards on the wing, 
ihen they fly as straight and as steadily as any bird I know, 
and are very easily killed. 

There is very little good snipe shooting in England, and one 
of the small sized Wilson snipe, which, by the bye, I have never 
met with in this country, is almost as great a rarity as a black 
swan. It is a much more difficult bird to kill, than the full sized' 
jack seen here, and I well recollect when a boy, my father who 
was a fair shot at general game, having 8 double shots at one 
bird, and at last he got a chance and finished him sitting. 

Before I had scarcely any practice at snipe, I heard Bogardus 
say when he was in Wales, the first time he was over in 


10 




England, that he would back himself to kill loo snipe in succes- 
sion and take every fair shot. • 

It appeared to me that it was about lOO to i against his doing 
it, but after I arrived in this country, I had the pleasure of seeing 
him kill them right and left at 40, 50 and 60 yards, and about as 
easily as he now breaks the glass balls. It gave me' confidence 
in hunting with him, and since then I have mightily enjoyed 
hunting snipe, and I killed 103 the la&t I ever shot at. 

Every young beginner should hunt snipe ; it is splendid sport, 
with good retrieving pointers ; and even the common meadow 
lark is really good practice in the summer season. 

The quail is by many thought a very easy bird to kill ; but I 
think the hunter who will score 7 out of 10 the day through in 
central Illinois, where it is mostly corn and ragweed shooting, 
can hold his own in any company, and at any game. 

I met with two bevies of quail, on the estate of John Gillett, 
Esq., near Elkhart, Logan Co., Illinois, that were, the swiftest* 

. flying birds I ever saw, I scattered them in corn about eight feet 
high, and had eleven shots at one lot before I scored one ; and I. 
never took the trouble to look for either again, but left them for 
breeding; as about half a dozen of any of that family connection, 
would afford a fine days amusement, for such of the Springfield 
or Bloomington hunters who may happen to be in that neigh- 
borhood. . 

The prevailing error in hunting quail is, that as they very often 
get up under the feet or at most from four to six yards from the 
shooter, they are generally shot at when not more than 10 or 12 

yards from the gun. 

« 

If they were allowed to reach from 25 to 30 yards away, many 
more would be killed ; to say nothing about the better appearance 
on the table. 

Should any young hunter, or even old one, be so nervous or 
impulsive that he cannot wait patiently as suggested, let him just 
try the experiment of cocking both barrels after the birds have 
risen. 

When very young, I often walked between my father and his 
elder brother when partridge shooting. 




11 


My uncle always carried his gun at half-cock, and would 
steadily raise the hammers after the birds had risen. He would 
kill his double shot certain, a considerable time after his com- 
panion had fired both barrels. 

Although my father was a good ordinary game shot, his 
brother could beat him 35 per cent, in the quantity of game 
killed in the day’s shoot. 

This was at a time when guns and ammunition were not so 
good as now, no choke-bores then. 

I shall ever remember with pleasure some days snipe and 
chicken hunting with Capt. Bogardus, at Elkhart, 111 . ; also at 
wild fowl with E. S. Cornell ; quail and chickens with Jac. 
Karr; chickens with Charley Gordon, and wood-cock and quail in 
the timber with Henry Rowe ; the last four near Gibson 
City, Ills. 

They are all rare companions in the field, and at the top of the 
tree, as marksmen in each of the branches enumerated. 

Talk of killing ducks and brant. Any infortunate creature 
that comes within 50 or 60 yards of Cornell, might save a lot of 
trouble by coming down at once, for if he just gets that gun of 
his to bear on them, it is all over. 

There is still some splendid duck hunting in the Western 
States. The duck hunter’s story, from the ‘‘Detroit Free Press,” 
will give some idea of what it used to be. 

“Speaking of duck shooting on St. Clair Flats,” sighed an old 
citizen as he took a seat in a gun store yesterday, “I don’t think 
there are as many birds up there as there was ten or fifteen years 
ago. Why, sir, the channels used to be just black with ’em, and 
they were so tame that you could knock ’em on the head.” 

Everybody sighed to think those good old days and ducks 
could never return, and the veteran hunter continued: 

“I remember I was out one day in April. I got in among the 
bipeds, and how many do you suppose I counted 

“Three hundred,” ventured one of the audience after a long 
interval. 

“Three hundred! Why, I always killed over a thousand 
every time I went out! No, sir, I counted ,over 16,000 great, 


12 


big, fat, plump, delicious ducks, and then I had only counted 
those on one side of the boat!” 

“How long did it take you ?” 

“I don’t know, sir, I had no watch with me. Time is nothing 
to a man counting ducks. I counted aloud, and when the ducks 
were small I counted two for one. By and by I ‘got tired of 
counting, and got ready for the slaughter.” 

“How many did you kill.^” 

“Well, now, I suppose I could lie about it and say I killed 
900 or 1,000, >but I’m getting too near the grave for that. No, I 
didn’t kill a blasted one, and that’s where the strange part of the 
story comes in. When I began to lift that gun up those ducks 
knew what I was up to just as well as a human being, and what 
did they do.^ Why, sir, about 200 of ’em made a sudden dive, 
swam under the boat, and all raised on her port-side at once and 
upset her! Yes, sir,- they did, and there I was in the North 
Channel in ten feet of water, boat upset, night coming on, and I 
in my wet clothes.” 

“Well.?” 

“Well, I climbed up on the bottom of the boat, floated flve 
miles and was picked up by two Indians. We towed that upset 
boat to an island, and here another curious thing comes in. 
Under the boat were 264 large, plump ducks. They had been 
caught there when she upset, and all we had to do was to haul 
’em out and rap ’em on the head.” « 

“Why, why didn’t they dive down and get from under the 
boat.?” asked an amateur duck-shooter. 

“Why didn’t they, sir — why didn’t, they .? Well, sir, I might 
have asked ’em why they didn’t, but it was late, a cold wind had 
sprung up, and I didn’t feel like talking! All I know is that I 
counted over 16,000 ducks, was upset, captured 264, and have 
affidavits here in my wallet to prove everything I have stated. 
Does any man here want to see the documents.?” 

No man did. They all looked out of the windows and wond- 
ered if they could lie that way when they had passed three-score 
years. 

I have heard of extraordinary, scores being made in hunting 
wild fowl, but thQ largest bag really certified, was that of my 


13 


friend Capt. E. E. Stubbs, with whom I lately shot a match at Little 
Rock, Arkansas, as recorded further on. 

It was reported at the time in the “Semi- weekly Coast,’’ and 
also in the “Gulf Weekly” newspapers. He was on a small 
tidal island, in a cove, about 3 miles from the main shore on the 
Mexican coast, and in 5 hours and 25 minutes, he killed 613 
head of birds, each one shot at single and on the wing. There 
were 46 swans, 72 geese, 34 brant and 461 mallards and spool 
bill ducks. 

He used 627 cartridges of No. 4 shot, and it kept two Mexican 
ranchmen hard at work to gather in the game. They remarked 
Mellican man great shooter^ big hunter ^hne hard work.^^ 
^‘He kill all de gamed ^ ^'‘Dey jist comes right dowit when he 
pints dat wayd^ 

He also related to me that in 1875, when hunting alone, for the 
market, in Northwestern Iowa, during the months of September 
and October, he killed 1,957 prairie chickens, besides other 
game, using a brace of English pointers, one at a time, on 
alternate days. 

I do not doubt either of the above statements, for I feel sure 
Capt. Stubbs would not relate anything untrue to me, and I can 
confidently say, that I consider him perhaps as good; if not the 
best shot I ever saw, both with the rifle and shot gun. 

I think he can kill as many prairie chickens on the wing with 
a rifle, as any man I know (bar about 2 or 3) can do wkh a 
shot gun, and during this next summer I expect we shall see him 
trying his skill at pigeons 30 yards rise, English rules with his 
rifle, against crack men with the shot gun. Although I have 
had some very good shooting in America, I would rather 
not mention any of my best doings, as they are so completely 
put in the back ground by the above. 

Much has been written and much jealousy and ill feeling 
expressed on the subject of the destruction of game in the Middle 
and Western States, by parties of hunters from the East, who 
ship all they kill either for market or to their eastern friends. 

I have hunted every day during the season for three years, and 
can pretty well judge, what quantity of game can be killed. 


14 


My opinion is that the scarcity and constant decrease in game is 
not caused by gunners, to a tenth part of what is supposed. 

1 was well equipped with guns, dogs, and the best hunting 
poney in the world. (Alas! since dead.) I could shoot double 
shots from the saddle as easily as fr;om the ground, could turn 
her loose on the prairie for hours; on -the slightest motion 
of raising the gun she would be firm as a rock, and in the tallest 
corn would thread her way with less damage than I could walk 
myself. I would mention, for the information of my friends in 
England, that the prairie chicken or pinnated grouse is much 
the same bird as the grouse of Great Britain. 

The quantity of chickens and quails that I could kill, might 
have been raised easily upon two sections of land. 

I maintain that the greatest enemies game has to contend 
with, are the farmer’s dogs, hawks, snakes, mink, skunk, owls, 
crows, coons, opossums and foxes. 

At almost every farm-house you will find two, three or .four 
dogs, no matter what breed, so that they can ’‘''kill a rat^ and 
bite a tramp,^^ Some are called full blooded bird dogs, which 
are worse than any others when running loose, but they embrace 
every variety from the mastiff to the verriest cur poodle. 

As a rule they are left to their own exertions for a living, and 
in the game breeding season accompany the teams when plough- 
ing and cultivating the corn, so that nothing escapes them, 
breaking up the nests of the chickens and quail, scaring the old 
birds' when sitting, and killing the helpless young by wholesale. 

There are crows enough in Missouri and western Illinois to 
suck every egg laid ; and crows ulso kill the young game. I 
have seen a gang of i,ooo at one time. No wonder game is 
scarce. Snakes also are very destructive to young game and 
eggs. I killed more than loo rattle snakes in one summer and 
bull snakes out of number. 

Again some of the farmers who do not hunt, take all the 
chicken’s eggs for cooking purposes, so as to send their hen’s 
eggs to market. 

4 

I was told by a farmer in Illinois last year, that he had used 
over 400 chicken’s eggs in his house, all taken from 240 acres 
of land. • 


15 


A regular hunter is the greatest friend to game, because he 
nev^er omits an opportunity of killing vermin. 

A chicken hawk requires a chicken or quail, at least,. 
in the year \ besides what they take extra when they have their 
young to provide for; so that a pair of those birds will kill more 
game in the year than a regular hunter, and I have always 
argued that by destroying on the average, a hawk or owl, besides 
other vermin every day I went out, that I was indirectly the 
means of preserving fifty head of game for every one I killed. 

Farmers little think the benefit a sportsman is to them, in 
destroying the enemies of their domestic poultry. 

Increased cultivation by utilizing sleughs and breaking up 
prairies must drive off prairie chickens, as it deprives them of 
insect feed, as well as places for seclusion and nesting. 

Just a few lines here to chicken hunters: Study carefully the 

habits of your game, and save yourselves the time and trouble of 
beating over ground on which there is no chance of -finding 

V 

anything. 

It is very pleasing to see dogs trained as for a field trial show, 
range over every yard of ground, quartering with almost median- 
ical exactness over perhaps a thousand acres of prairie after 
chickens, when not even 20 acres would be likely to hold a 
bird. 

In Europe, where enclosures are small and game plentiful, and 
in some parts of this country where quails are abundant, such 
dogs are very beautiful to see ; but a good chicken dog accus- 
tomed to hunting on the prairie, seems to know that the edges 
of the sleugh are most likely to hold game. 

You will never find chickens in foul corn if there is any other 
within 3 or 4 miles, unless scared in early season by a hawk or 
from being shot into. 

Chickens roost on open spaces in the prairie, so that vermin 
cannot easily reach them without detection, and there they will 
be found feeding at break of day, and again in the evening, on 
insects. 

If in a country where small grain is cultivated, they will be in 
the wheat and oat stubbles, to feed early. 


1(3 


As the sun gets stronger in early season, they go to the edges 
of the slough on the prairies, where they can get the shade of the 
long grass, and watch for any indications of danger, and as a 
rule will stay there until about ten o’clock, when they leave for 
the shade of the corn, where they will remain, if undisturbed, un- 
til feeding time in the afternoon. * 

If the hunter is a stranger, and does not know the favorite corn 
fields, he can watch the flight of the birds from an elevated posi- 
tion, and after allowing them to rest for an hour, can go direct to 
where he will get good shooting. 

Fresh broken land about the second or third year of cultivation 
is the most favorable resort ; they dust and scratch in the shade, 
and can, in clean corn, watch every thing going on for some dis- 
,tance. 

It is not unusual for birds to travel two or three miles to find 
the land they want ; no wonder therefore that you may beat over 
a large tract of corn land full of weeds, without finding a single 
bird, even in a good chicken country. • 

Dogs that will keep close in, and retrieve well^ are nec- 
essary in corn hunting ; and if a space of about 20 or 30 yards 
is allowed between each gun in walking the rows, a good lot of 
ground may be beaten over during the hours of from 12 to 4 
o’clock ; after which the birds will be leaving for the stubble and 
pastures. Chickens rarely touch corn until insect and small 
grain feed is exhausted. 

Chicken hunting, in corn which is often ten feet or more high, 
is very bad practice for finely broken young dogs ; as hunting 
mostly out of view of their master, they are apt to take advantage 
of it, and break rules. I would rather at any time cleanly miss three 
shots, than leave a winged or wounded bird to suffer and become 
the prey of vermin. For that reason I have been this last two 
seasons allowing my dogs to go in at once for dead birds, because 
if you should tip the wing of a fully matured or old male bird, he 
will generally take the line of a row of corn, and go right away 
at his greatest speed until he reaches the long prairie grass, even 
if it is a quarter or half mile or more away. 

If the dogs are made to drop to charge, and the bird gets 100 
seconds start of the dog, unless he bleeds from his wounds, it 


17 


can hardly be expected that a dog can trail a particular bird over 
perhaps twenty cross scents, and especially where it is stronger 
from the birds having been playing about for some time on the 
ground. 

A bird running as fast as possible, leaves very little scent on 
dry ground in the summer season. 

“Eyes open and mouth shut,” is my motto in hunting. There 
is nothing will scare game so much as the human voice, and I 
maintain that one '''‘down zhargd^ spoken loudly and in anger, 
will set all the game on the alert within a quarter of a mile, and 
does infinitely more harm than a dog going direct to his dead 
game and returning quietly with it. Prairie chickens are not 
easily moved by a dog unless he should be a wild one, and many 
dogs will, in bringing dead game, especially quail, stand the live * 
ones with the dead in its mouth. 

I have many times, when on high ground, seen my dog Sancho 
coming in with a wounded bird, half to three quarters of a mile 
from the spot where it fell ; it was only a question of time if he 
was not in at once, if it took him ten minutes, he was si^re to get 
him before he returned. Dogs often get blame, for not finding 
what is thought to be a dead bird, when really there is no fault, 
as the game is perhaps some hundred yards away at the time he 
is sent for it ; whereas, if the dog had been sent in at once, he 
would have recovered the bird before it had time to get round 
from the effect of the fall. 

I cannot refrain from telling a little story. My friend Charley 
Gordon and myself were invited by some renters, on the 40,000 
acre Sullivant farm, at Burroaks, in Ford Co., Illinois, to join a 
party in a prairie chicken hunt ; as we were known pretty good 
shots, and had plenty of good dogs. 

The whole neighborhood was called out. Every available 
gun, nearly a dozen, was looked up, and.brought into requisition. 
Some had two barrels and only one hammer ; others refused to 
remain at half or full cock, and had to be loosed from the thumb, 
and some had not been known to observe half cock for years, and 
of others, the barrels had some few apparently originally done 
service as gas pipes, about the time that article was introduced, 
and were secured to the stock by string or wire. 


18 


Every gun had a history and pedigree, of course, all imported^ 
genuine articles ; and most had killed ducks, geese, or chickens 
at loo yards, and from 15 to 20 quails at one shot. 

Soda water bottles suspended on strings, served for powder 
and shot flasks, and the palm of the hand for measures. Old 
newspapers answered instead of wads, and sometimes in a hurry 
a dram of powder would do for two ounces of shot. “ The more 
shot the better^ but not inuch powder for fear of bursting the 

gU7t.'*^ 

Dogs of all sorts and sizes, rough and smooth, mostly called 
full-blooded^ and descended from stock that could ^"'s?nell a 
chicken at a qiiarter of a fnile^ They had done it. The 
whole party of men and dogs numbered nearly forty, so we 
spread out and went ahead. I preferred the right hand outside 
berth, as it appeared to me much the safest in that company; and 
stretching wide through the corn, we all went at it with a will. 

One or two of the ^^Nimrods^^ led the hunt. They of course 
knew where the chickens were, they could find all you wanf^ 
in no time. ‘‘All you want’’ is a favorite expression in speaking 
of game, but what quantity it represents I never exactly found 
out. If it originated from We want but little here below f 
I certainly generally got it. 

After toiling without my poney for about four hours in 
very foul corn, and moving only one bird, which I got outside in 
a road, and during which time I constantly told them '‘^we would 
never find any birds in such corn as thatf we came to a well 
cultivated piece of about 100 acres. 

As soon as I saw it, I said ''''now boys look out for the chick- 
ens f and sure enough there they were. 

For some hour and a half it was glorious fun! such volleys! ! 
such shouting! such a row! ! seven or eight shots at a single bird, 
and a very nice bundle of chickens was the result. 

If Charley and I had been by ourselves, I really think we could 
have got 100. I visited that ground often afterwards and had 
fine sport. 

I came across another well cultivated farm of 200 acres on the 
Sullivant estate. The occupier was a rare good hearted fellow 
named Furrey ; he deserved a good crop. He said I was welcome 


\ 


19 


to hunt his corn as often as I liked, he knew I would do him 
no damage, and for some time I had good sport there three days 
a week. 

Good farming paid him well. It looked all of 8o bushels to 
the acre right through. He had two clever little twin sons, aged ^ 
13 , who with another son about i8, and himself, entirely cultivated 
and managed 50 acres each, and they had reason to be proud of 
their success. 

Some of the small freeholders detest hunters, as the devil is 
said to hate holy-watei'^ and will if possible get some chance of 
swearing at you, and threatening vengeance. A renter, or a 
large owner seldom interferes, but the 40 acre man, without the 
writings in his house^ takes every opportunity of asserting his 
authority, just to make believe that the place belongs to him, 
when, perhaps, having, borrowed money at ten per cent, to get 
his land, he has not even a dollar of interest in it, and would be 
worse off than a renter if closed up. There are, however, many 
who will heartily welcome a stranger with a gun, and enjoy see- 
ingagood shot ; and more particularly clever dogs. But if you were 
to believe all you hear, there must be much more game in the 
country, than your dogs are able to find. 

John Gillette, Esq., of Elkhart, Logan Co. Ills., a fine farmer 
of his own fine estate of nearly 10,000 acres, once said to me, ‘T 
have not the least objection to either Bogardus or yourself 
shooting over my land, whenever and wherever you like ; because 
you are huiiters and you kitow your business ; and a regular 
hunter will do me no harm ; but there are a lot of random young 
fellows come here and scare my cattle, and do me lots of injury, 
and I cannot allow them over my place.’’ 

A farmer in going his rounds, sees the same flock of quails, 
perhaps a dozen times in the course of the day, and supposes 
they are as many different lots, so that he tells you ^^he can show 
you at least twenty gangs^^ that is what they call them, ^ '‘gangs, I 
would have you beware how you get into a gang of quails near 
a farm house ; for often you may get driven off at the point of a . 
hay fork, by half a dozen men and dogs, if you get killing their 
'‘'‘pretty quails that co 77 te to feed with the fowh,^^ I expect 
before two more Presidents are elected in this country, that in 


ft 


20 

9 

some parts game will be strictly preserved. At the present time 
the penalty for tresspassing in pursuit of game is much heavier than 
it is in England. 

Once I marked a chicken down near to where a farmer’s wife 
was picking corn ; so I rode round the bird to get between it and 
the woman and beat away from her. I shot from the poney and 
killed the chicken, with my back toward the woman, but she told 
her husband that the shots hit her, and I was forbidden hunting 
on his ground afterwards, and often joked for having shot a 
woman. I had heard of guns shooting round stacks of corn, but 
that was the only instance of one throwing shot backwards, that 
I have had positive proof of. 

Returning from hunting one day near Elkhart, Ills., I met 
a farmer, who asked me if I was fond of rabbitting. I replied 
'‘'‘just the sport J do he said, '‘'‘why do7z‘ t you come to my 

place^ you can get all you want, why you can just slay them!! 
That settled it at once. I began to think. Slay? Slay? Ah! 

I remember now, why Samson slew a thousand Phillistines and 
'"''all you wanf^ again! surely that means two sacks full at least. 
The snow was pretty deep, and next morning I started on my 
old poney with plenty of shells, three dogs and two new sacks ; 
and after a long hunt I found the shanty in the timber. 

My friend was just starting out for a log, so he said, '"'‘put your 
poney in the stable and hunt round here anywhere, until I come 
back and join you?^ 

I found a bunch of seven quails and got two, and after a while 
I moved a rabbit which I killed. So after four hours work I gave 
it up in disgust, and just when I started for home he came back. 

On describing my hunt to him, he explained. “ What! not 
fo 2 ind but 07ie rabbit! Why my dogs started two yester- • 
dav!P^ 

I shall never forget that word slay. I could have slayed him if 
I dared. 

I could fill a large volume with pleasing reminiscences of dogs, 
&c., &c., for I had two pointers at the same time, Sancho, (see 
likeness of him on the cover) and Shot, that among other things 
were constantly standing on quail, when bringing in dead birds 


V 


21 


in their mouths, but I have no space at command, so must hark 
back ! 

In flushing game before a dog, it is best to walk up very 
quietly, or you may make him nervous and unsteady. Study 
carefully from the wind and circumstances, the probable position 
of the game, and do not walk direct to it or appear in a hurry ^ 
as most likely it is watching you, and will let you get much 
closer, if you appear to be going past it. 

Try and drive your birds in the direction most easy to follow, 
and rise them against wind if possible, as they will not fly so 
swiftly. 

If ducks, say a couple of mallards, are coming right over you^ 
let them get well past before shooting; there is plenty of time for 
a double shot, and if you shoot under them from behind, they are 
more easily killed than from the front, as the feathers are softer. 

I am convinced that one-half of the shots missed, thought to be 
out of range, would have been effective if the gun had been held 
more forward ; as it must take longer for shot to travel 6 o than 20 
yards, and allowance has to be made for the time lost in fulling 
trigger^ fall of ha tmner^ ignitio 7 z of cap^ combustion of powder 
and reaching the object^ which, however instantaneous it may 
all seem at first thought, would allow a bird in fast flight to travel 
several feet. 

Often, when shooting at several birds, and one has dropped, 
you hear a companion say : “ What a splendid shot,’’ when, in 
reality, it was not the bird you aimed at but one several feet 
behind it that was killed ; and if it had been a single bird fired at 
YOU would not have killed at all. 

The great advantage claimed for the breech-loading gun is not 
only the rapidity of firing and reloading, but that however foul 
the barrels may be, the shells are each fresh and clean, and, 
moreover, the shot can be changed in a moment as occasion may 
require. 

Sometimes when loaded for snipe with 10 shot, you suddenly 
come upon a chance of a shot at large game, your shells can be 
changed in a second, whereas you may as well have thrown a 
stone as shot at it with the charge of small shot. 


22 


In trap shooting, it is always advisable to have a supply of 
shells loaded with the Dittinar or smokeless yellow powder, for if 
shooting with the use of both barrels, now becoming so general, 
should the atmosphere be close and muggy, no rhatter what sort 
of black powder is used, if the bird goes straight away, the 
second barrel will be almost useless in 9 out of every 10 shots. 

I had the pleasure of an introduction when in New* York to 
Mr. J. Von Lengerke, the representative of theDittmar Co. He 
presented me with 100 loaded shells for a trial, and they were 
used by the Englishman in the Bogardus-Rimell match at Pitts- 
burgh, for the first barrel. He scored 90 dead in bounds and 9 
over the fence, which was only 50 yards in front of the traps. 
Bogardus used Dittmar in his first barrel in same match and 
scored 96 in bounds and 3 dead over the fence, at 30 yards rise, 
five ground traps, under English rules. 

The great secret in the use of Dittmar powder appears from the 
trials I have made, and which is also Mr. Lengerke’ s opinion, 
that the more perfectly the powder is confined in loading, the 
greater will be the power and of necessity the better will be the 
results. 

I strongly advise the use of wads without any indentations, 
particularly for Dittmar powder, for in loading shells there is no 
necessity for them on the score of escape of air, as there was in 
the old muzzle loading times. If the indented wads are used, 
care should be taken that the air holes are not exactly over each 
other, but I think the makers of wads would do well to drop them 
altogether. 

With a 10 bore, 9 lb. breech-loader, I use by measure 5^ drams 
of C diamond grain Dittmar or Orange Lightning powder ; a Bald- 
win dry wad to keep the grease from the powder; two thick, 
strong greased wads, well rammed down singly, and another 
Baldwin dry wad on the shot. 

The brass shells I think far best for Dittmar powder, as they 
will admit of a wad a size larger than the paper shells, and the 
tighter the wad the better must the explosive power be confined 
in leaving the barrel. In loading with Dittmar it will be found a 
very great advantage to let the shell remain all night, or at any 
rate a few hours after the powder and the wads are well rammed 


23 


m 


down before putting in the shot, as it will admit of considerable 
more pressure on being struck with the mallet afterwards. 

A rammer made of iron something in the same style as a wad- 
cutter, closely fitted to the shell, will keep the wads level and pre- 
vent the sides turning up. 

Soft felt wads, or soft wads of any kind, are of no use what- 
ever with Dittmar powder. I have cause to remember it, for I 
lost a good match through using them. My candid opinion is, 
Xhdii properly loaded^ the Dittmar powder is as good, both for 
quickness and killing properties, as the best black powder ever 
made. That is my own experience. 

Occasionally, perhaps, once in one or tw'o hundred shots you 
may find a shell that appears defective, but that is also the case 
with all powders, because it is almost certain to arise from the 
raising of the wads, particularly in brass shells, or some error in 
loading. 

Without wishing to favor any particular make of powder, I 
recommend every gunner to use the very best he can purchase ; no 
cheap, dirty trash. 

Orange Lightning is the make I always use in my matches. I 
do not say it is better than any other, but I have always found it 
alike, truly and thoroughly reliable, which is what I want. 

I remember Bogardus used it when in England in 1875, and I 
believe has continued doing so up to the present time, and con- 
siders it the best. 

We Britishers have a great notion of sticking to a good thing, 
and I purpose keeping to Orange Lightning as long as it main- 
tains its present excellence. 

A great difference of opinion exists on the merit of large and 
small bore guns, and large and small sized shot. 

With a small bore gun, say No. 18, there would be double the 
friction that there would be from a 10 bore, because double the 
quantity of shot would be exposed to the inner surface of the 
barrel. 

Friction means consequent loss of power and velocity, and loss 
of velocity means loss of penetration. 

I am of opinion, without any actual scientific data to guide me, 
that there would be 25 per cent, greater velocity and power with 


24 


a No. lo guage gun, 5 drams of powder and oz. of shot, than 
with an 18 bore gun loaded with 3 drams of powder and i oz. of 
shot. 

All that may not be of much consequence in shooting at a 
straight away bird at 35 or 30 yards, but apply it to a fifty yards 
quartering shot and it will astonish yo?i^ and show the necessity 
of shooting well forward. 

The larger the size of shot the greater the velocity; thus. 
No. 3 shot will travel 10 per cent, or more faster than No. 7, and 
consequently makes greater penetration, which will account for 
its killing at greater distance. 

After a common sense consideration of the subject, I have come 
to the conclusion that a 10 guage gun of 9 lbs. weight, 30 inch 
barrels, is the best suited for all purposes. 

It is not too heavy to carry in the field, and is of sufficient 
weight to allow of 5 drams of powder and ij oz. of shot, when 
handled by a person of ordinaiy physique. 

If a gun is found to rebound seriously, it is obviated entirely, 
at a cost of 75 cents, by a rubber pad on the butt. 

I use 5^ drams of best powder in matches, and can shoot 100 
double shots without the least soreness of the shoulder or incon- 
venience to the nervous system from concussion, whereas without 
the pad, I should be almost unable to raise my arm at 100 double 
shots. 

With regard to shot, I am much in favor of small sized shot as 
a general rule. No. 9 New York, with good load of powder 
behind, is very effective. Try it for the first barrel. 

The original inventor of the double-barreled gun was eithe 
very stupid, or what is more probable, he was a left handed man, 
for certain it is that the triggers are placed in a favorable position 
for a left shouldered shot. 

It would be found much handier in use if the first trigger was 
placed where the second now is, and the left barrel used first, as * 
it is easier to move the finger forward than take it back, and it 
would glide more readily from one trigger to the other. • 

When I first noticed it, I changed them in my gun, and was 
delighted with the plan, but I foresaw that if it was adopted it 
would at first be very dangerous in the hands of strangers. 


25 


The first person to whom I showed it was a Welsh gamekeeper, 
almost always with a gun in his hand. 

I explained it very carefully to him, and he liked it muchly, but 
was slightly offended as I cautioned him against accident when he 
began, as is usual to try the locks. 

Almost on the instant off went the gun. He was, of course, 
handling the wrong hammer. Fortunately, I was clear of the 
muzzle, and no further damage was done than a few broken 
squares of ^lass in his employer’s conservatory. 

It is scarcely necessary to add that I replaced the triggers in 
their old form, and I leave it to a wiser generation to adopt the 
principle. ^ 

I cannot refrain here from noticing what appears to me a very 
sad waste of life, and food intended for man, in the wanton 
destruction of game, and particularly wild fowl, in the Western 
States, for the purposes of sport only, the birds when shot down 
being left to suffer and die a lingering death from starvation. 

A great deal of this may be caused by the arbitrary laws passed 
in most of the Western States, prohibiting the exportation of 
game, even by residents. 

I know instances in Iowa of hunters killing chickens wholesale 
and leaving them to rot upon the ground. 

It is very one sided policy, for, as a rule. Eastern hunters will 
spend and leave more money in a neighborhood where they are 
hunting, than three or four times the value of the game killed, so 
that indirectly the landowners would benefit by encouraging hunters 
and it would be selling their game pretty dearly. A market 
hunter will carefully gather all he kills and send it for sale where 
anybody who has not the time or the opportunity to kill game for 
themselves, can buy it and enjoy a dish of game at a moderate 
cost. 

A rich man, who has the means at disposal, to command the 
best hunting grounds, and with every facility to get large quan- 
tities of game, merely shoots it down for so-called sport and 
leaves the poor things to perish, oftentimes in a single day 
destroying and wasting what would be food for fifty families, 

I would suggest to all such gentlemen who would not like to 
handle the proceeds of game sent to market, that they should 


26 


send it free of cost to the nearest available hospitals, poor houses 
and public institutions, vv^here the gift w’ould be appreciated by 
the poor suffering inmates. The express companies would, 
doubtless, convey it free of cost. Another idea presents itself. 
Let the game be sent to market in the ordinary way and the 
proceeds given to some good charities, or handed over to the State 
Sportsmen’s Association to provide a series of prizes at the an- 
nual tournament. ^ 

In trap shooting especially, it often happens that a single bird 
will alter the result of a match. How necessary, tRerefore, it is 
that not a particle of a chance should be thrown away in being 
provided with everything calculated to insure success. 

If a cylinder gun is used, some shells with concentrators 
should be kept on hand, for with a good straight away bird, with 
the wind behind him at 30 yards rise, the advantage in using 
concentrators can scarcely be imagined, except by those who, like 
myself, have thoroughly tested them. 

The concentrator must not be so tightly fitted in the shell as to 
break the circle, or the result will be disastrous. They are no 
use, therefore, in choke bore guns, and even some open bore bar- 
rels do not shoot well with them. 

The U. M. C. concentrators are much too closely fitted even 
for their own make of brass shells. No. 10. 


• V 


27 





F OCCIDENTS WITH GUNS. 


Never carry a gun with the muzzle in a direction that it would 
be dangerous to life or property if accidentally discharged. 

Remember that the muzzle is the only dangerous part of a gun. 
Keep it pointed, therefore, either to the sky or to the ground. 

There is more to be dreaded from a companion’s weapon than 
}mur own ; do not allow him to hold his gun so that you can see 
down the barrels. 

Wheit going through or over a fence, put your gun at half or 
full cock, for if it should catch in anything, it will not explode as 
it would if the hammer rested on the cap and was slightly raised 
and loosed. Keep it well in front, muzzle upwards, with the 
hand in front of the trigger guard. If you should be in company 
the one following should bring his gun through the fence pointing 
backwards. 

When expecting game, the gun should be carried on the left 
arm if your companion is on the right side ; or in the left hand, 
with the muzzle sufficiently upwards to be safe. 

The finger should never touch the trigger until the game is 
moved ; for if a stumble or fall occur in walking, and the finger 
is inside the guard, it is almost certain to cause an explosion. 

The hammers should never be resting upon the cap or striker, 
it is very dangerous^ as a very slight blow or concussion from a 
fall would cause a discharge. For 25 or 30 years I have carried 
my gun at full cock without an accident, and if the locks are 
good, I have always considered it the safest way. 

If snow or mud gets into the barrels be careful to clear it well 
out before shooting. Many good barrels are either burst or 
bulged from some substance, even a wad being left in the muzzle. 


» 


28 




When getting into, or out of a wagon, do not pull your gun 
after you. Keep it in front -with the point well up. 

A breech-loading gun need scarcely ever be loaded except when 
expecting game ; but a few shells should be kept in the most con- 
venient place in case of hurry. 

Never take a loaded gun into a house, but either draw the shells 
or take off the caps. 

“This to your memory keep.” 

Under no circumstances whatever attempt to de-cap or re- 
cap a loaded shelly hut carefully draw the charge first. If a 
metal shell, keep it well in front, so that the charge would be 
clear of you in case of explosion ; and if a paper shell, better lose 
the shell by cutting it through to save the ammunition, than run 
the risk of taking off the primer. 

In loading shells keep them well away in front, and be careful 
that the primer does not rest upon any hard substance, but have 
holes drilled out in the centre of the stand. 

Have metal shells properly fitted for the chamber of your gun, 
and do not lend them, for if used in a gun of slightly larger cali- 
bre than your own, they will burst or bulge, and be useless for 
your own afterwards. 

When loading a gun place the butt upon the foot and incline 
the muzzle well outwards quite clear of your head. If one bar- 
rel is fully loaded it should be turned farthest away, keeping the 
hand clear of it, and only the smallest portion of the finger that 
is necessary should be over the loaded barrel in using the ramrod. 
Both barrels should be at half cock, as the escape of the gas 
allows the powder to be driven well into the tube. 

Take care not to leave tow or rag in the breech when wiping 
out the gun ; it may be fired by the first discharge and igniting the 
powder in reloading, may cause a fatal accident by exploding the 
contents of the powder flask. 

Have the caps properly fitted to the tube, so as not to burst in 
putting on ; they will be easily taken off, and not liable to be lost. 

A spare tube and wrench, a shell extractor, knife, screw-driver, 
piece of cord or string, and some small money will be found use- 
ful to a hunter. 


V 


29 


Never put away a gun without wiping and oiling outside, and 
examine the locks often for fear of water and rust. 

Wash the barrels of a muzzle loader very often, for in damp 
weather a large portion of the powder will be wetted, and be- 
comes caked when forced down into the breech. 

Be careful that your shells are properly loaded, and carry at 
least two sizes of shot for ordinary use. A few with buck and 
B B shot should be kept very conveniently for large game, or long 
shots at flocks of geese or ducks. I have killed 8 and lo ducks 
at a double shot into a large lot at lOo yards, with 6 drams of 
powder and f oz. of B B shot. 

Great caution should be taken if the wad oyer shot should be- 
come loose, to remove it before putting in another cartridge ; for 
if the weight of shot should force the wad 'to the muzzle of 
the gun, it would be almost certain to burst or bulge the barrel at 
the next discharge. 

Many fine guns are spoiled by this simple thing, and either the 
maker of the gun or the powder (particularly if Dittmar or any 
other new explosive should be used), gets blamed fora casualty 
over which they have no control, and the real cause is never 
known. 

It is not very likely that the strength of any powder (even if 20 
drams were used), would be powerful enough to damage a bar- 
rel which has been tested to stand many times that power before 
leaving the factory. 

In resting a gun upon the ground place the hand over the 

muzzle ; it is very dangerous. 

Not long since I was hunting with a young man who was very 
careless with his gun. Several times I had occasion during the 
day to caution him, as he would place the butt end on the ground 
with the hammers on the caps, and his hand over the top of the 
barrels. 

He seemed to regard my advise very lightly, forgetting the adage 
that ‘‘The young men thmk the old men are fools, but the old 
ones know the young men are.’’ 

About two weeks afterwards he was in a wagon with a spring 
seat, holding his gun in the same manner, and in goingover some 


30 


rough ground the jolting caused the spring seat to raise the ham- 
mer sufficiently to discharge the gun and carry away the whole of 
the centre of the hand and cripple him for life. 

If his gun had been at half or full cock, it would not have 
occurred. v 

Even the breech loader is not altogether free from liability to 
accident. 

A few weeks since I handed my gun for five minutes to a youth 
to hold, while I was away to get a drink of water. I took pre* 
caution to draw the shells, but the young hopeful amused himself 
by cocking and hitting the hammers upon the strikers, and as 
there were no shells the force drove the pins further than usual, 
and the spiral spritjg failed to throw one of them back again into 
its place. 

On replacing the shells I did not observe the projecting pin, 
and on closing the gun it pressed upon the primer, causing the 
cartridge to explode, and I had to thank God that the muzzle 
was pointed in a proper direction, which most likely saved the 
life of one of the party of men and dogs. 

Since writing the above, I attended a Small shooting match in 
the country, to which I was invited to act as referee, and although 
perhaps not more than 50 or 60 persons present, I met with four 
that had been the victims of gun accidents, admittedly through 
sheer negligence. 

The first had his hand shockingly mutilated from a shell 
bursting when he was de-capping it. He had lost the thumb and 
two fingers entirely. The second had a hole drilled out through 
the center of the palm of the hand from the gun exploding in a 
somewhat similar way to the accident described in a foregoing 
page — hand over muzzle, but this case resulted more distressingly 
than even the other, for it left him with paralysis of the entire 
arm, so that he will never be able to raise his hand to his mouth 
again. 

The third was totally blinded in one eye from the gun of a 
companion being discharged in his direction while duck hunting. 
The fourth was a case of holding the fingers over a loaded barrel 
while filling the other. The lock was worn, and the concussion 


31 


or shake in ramming a hard wad in a foul gun caused an explo^ 
sion and carried away nearly the whole of thumb and two fingers. 

There may even have been others among the company present 
who could have related piteous and woeful tales of misery resulting 
from foolish and incautious use of firearms, but it did not occur to 
me to inquire for them. 


32 


♦ 




9 


ON PIGEON SH 


Vw' 




KJ L 1 



Pigeon shooting from the trap is now becoming a great insti- 
tution in this country, and from the immense gatherings of 
splendid shots that I have seen, it would become exceedingly 
popular I think if the system of increased distances at handicaps 
and five ground traps was generally introduced. 

The principle argument I find advanced against the ground 
trap is that the birds here will not rise well from them, forgetting 
that it is natural for a bird to try for liberty. 

There is, indeed, good reason why they do not fly when the 
trap is loosed, for the poor birds are too often physically inca- 
pable from bad treatment and neglect. 

If they were as expensive here as in England they would be 
better looked after. Coming from a journey, birds should have a 
day or two of rest in a good barn, with a plentiful supply of water 
and sand ; should have double the present room given them in 
traveling, the coops being high enough to stand up in and move 
freely. 

Pigeons should be kept in a large, well ventilated barn, with 
small, round perches not more than to f inch in thickness, and. 
not allowed to be seen or approached by any one except the 
usual feeder. 

Three or four times every day tame birds should be well 
scared by being driven in the barn with either a noisy whip or 
a switch that will hit without hurting them, and lead them to 
expect a whipping every time they see a person, but wild birds 
should be kept as quiet as possible. 

^Wicker baskets or hampers are best when on the shooting 
ground to protect them from the sun and allow free ventilation, 
without exposing them to the view of spectators. 


V 


33 


The wildest looking birds, and those of cleanly and healthy 
appearance should be selected for present use. 

Birds should be fed regularly and very moderately, morning and 
evening, with a mixture of all sorts of grain and seeds available, 
and supplied at all times, with some such as the following mixture : 

A peck of old building mortar. 

A peck of crushed bricks. 

A peck of good fresh sand or small gravel. 

One and a half pounds of Cumin seed. 

Quarter pound of bay salt, well mixed and a little given fresh 
every day. 

Water should be provided at least once per day in clean vessels 
so made, that being shallow in some parts, the birds can bathe 
freely. 

In selecting for the trap, every squab and sickly, weak bird 
should be rejected and put into a separate room, which should 
serve as a hospital, as it is far better to keep such birds at home 
for a short time until they can fly, than to irritate and annoy the 
shooter with such trash, for they are equally unsatisfactory 
whether with- plunge or ground traps. 

Feed is cheap enough in this country that to keep them a few 
days would not be so serious an expense, and would be compen- 
sated for by not having any of them refused as being non-flyers. 

I think it would be a very excellent plan to clip the tails of wild 
birds at the time of catching them, and before being cooped at 
all. It would prevent their getting filth and dirt upon the feathers 
and I am quite certain that the birds leave the traps much better 
and more regular with the tails a little shortened, and more 
particularly so with the long, swallow-tailed male birds. 

Wild birds will be sure to fly well from traps, if not exhausted 
from traveling and want of food and w^ater. 

Many tame birds, either from being young or from having been 
home bred and constantly near to human beings, will not care to 
fly either from ground or plunge traps ; for if thrown from the lat- 
ter they generally turn to the ground in a moment, and more par- 
ticularly so if dead birds are allowed ungathered near the traps. 



34 


Tame birds will almost sure fly to the nearest building; it is 
advisable to place the traps so that in getting towards it the bird 
will be going straight away. 

After keeping some 250 wild birds for two weeks perfectly 
quiet, I found they went from traps much faster when fed only 
once per day ; for if allowed unlimited food a pigeon will become 
fat and lazy in a few days, for want of exercise. 

I would, however, recommend that the barn where wild birds 
are kept should have a stretched canvass under the roof to pre- 
vent their being injured from flying upwards when scared, and 
striking the head against the top of the room. 

In the Bogardus-Rimell, Lucas-Price, and Bogardus-Jewett 
matches at wdld birds, out of 1,200 trapped, only 13 turned to- 
wards the shooters and were killed inside the circle of the traps. 
The new ground traps, where the bird is put in at the back and 
cannot turn, were used on those occasions. See advertise?nent. 

The wild pigeon acts as nearly as possible like the English 
starling, and is very little larger than the common dove of Eng- 
land. He is off like a shot when the trap opens, and is, there-^ 
fore, exactly suited for ground traps. 

My opinion has often been asked as to the difference between 
the wild bird of this country and the English blue rock ; so called 
because originally they were bred in the holes in the rocks or 
quarries, on the northeast coast of England. 

The principal of the best birds now obtained for the London 
Gun Clubs, are from the large farmers in Lincolnshire, where houses 
are very thinly scattered. The high price paid for them for heavy 
matches, induces them to breed only from the small blue bird, 
although some of the white ones are equally fast and good, and 
calculated to flurry a shooter if one is occasionally introduced. 

The rock is unquestionably stronger than the wild bird, but is 
considerably larger, and after seeing some good wild birds trap- 
ped in the Bogardus-Rimell matches at New York and Pitts- 
burg, and recently in the Lucas-Price matches at St. Louis, I am 
decidedly of opinion that if the wild birds are in really good con- 
dition, they are quite as difficult to make a score with as the best 
English rock. It is useless to disguise the fact, however, that 
birds are seldom trapped here in good order ; they frequently are 


35 


sent by express five or six hundred miles, and suffer badly from 
fright and privation, and are seldom taken from the coops in 
which they travel until trapped. 

Birds should be fed and well watered as near to the time of 
shooting as convenient, and have water at the coops, if possible, 
in very hot weather, and not be exposed to sun or rain. 

The tails should be cropped about an inch to keep them free 
from wet and dirt in traveling, and if not required for shooting 
that day, they should be loosed in the barn before sundown to 
allow for feed in^ time. 

A little well soaked corn is »a good substitute, if it is not con- 
venient to water them in the coops. 

With a plunge trap not one bird in three ever makes an effort 
to fly. They are jerked, or rather plunged into the air, just as a 
dead cat might be ; and are shot at when they have reached the 
highest point, or as they are dropping, and before they have had 
time to extend the wings. 

There is not a shadow of a pretext for saying that such child* s 
flay is any criterion of ability in the field; as it is not known 
there the exact spot from which the bird will rise, and there birds 
do not fly downwards as is nearly always the case from the plunge 
trap. 

Just one little bit of advice to promoters of shooting tourna- 
ments in this country: 

While I am quite willing to give every credit for the great 

I trouble and expense bestowed upon the general arrangements for 
!’ £he comfort and pleasure of the visitors, they seem altogether to 
, overlook the principal thing, and that is the condition of the birds 

to be used. It is very like the play of Hamlet with the principal 
character omitted. 

j An extra outla}^ of $50 for a good barn would not be too much 
to be expected, when, as I have been told, it is not an unusual 
; thing for a profit of from $500 to $1,000 to be made on a tourna- 

II ment, besides the advantage to the town where it is held. 

li In Europe, the party furnishing the birds also traps and handles 
; 'I them, and every bird hanging when the trap is pulled over, is 
and not hciid for. That is the proper system toeet birds 


ti fly. So long as plunge traps are tolerated, one bird is as 



m 


A 

/ ■ ' 

good as another if it is not actually dead when carried to the trap* 

I saw at a shoot a few days since the boys took the birds to the 
traps by the wings. 

I was referee lately at a plunge trap match, where on a bird 
being challenged for shot marks and picked, the shoulder was found 
to be broken. There was no trace of shot marks, but some blood , 
issued from a feather hole in plucking, the color of which and of 
the wound satisfied me that the injury had been caused quite 24 
hours before. No question could have arisen with the ground 
trap because the bird could not have left the ground. 

The five trap handicap system causes a little more trouble for 
the scorers and managers, and requires a little time to get 
appreciated, but when once thoroughly understood it will be 
enjoyed. It has entirely superseded the H. & T. one trap, one 
barrel plan in Europe, and nothing else is now known there. The 
plunge traps have never been seen there but they would not be 
tolerated, as they shoot for money and bet largely, therefore, a 
bird must fly or be refused. 

Club competition in teams is thoroughly an American institu- 
tion and a most enjoyable and sociable style of contesting among 
gunners, worthy of every encouragement if conducted upon more 
just and equitable terms than I have observed. 

I would not have each team shoot off all their birds z?z a squad 
as at present, because much favoritism can be shown. One team 
may shoot when the weather, birds, wind, light and every other 
circumstance may be in their favor, and another may shoot when 
the sun is in their eyes, or when exhausted, and when the ele- 
ments, birds and everything else is against them. 

Let the whole company of contestants shoot separate and 
distinct as in an ordinary sweepstakes, and instead of following 
each other at the score as a team^ let the joosition of every shooter 
be put on the list by drawing for places, and each round shot 
through in regular order. By that means the man who supplies 
the birds and the trappers could show no favor. 

The spirit of the competition would be kept up until the end 
of the shoot. The scores of each team could be taken out and ^ 
added together for the result. 


37 


I 
I 

I 

I 

Instead of 10,000 or 12,000 birds being required for a week’s 
tournament, as it is with plunge traps, and squad shooting in 
classes, adopt the English system of five traps, each bird being 
gathered, and the trap refilled each shot ; birds well prepared to 
^ fly from ground traps and not thrown into the air and shot at 
when the movement of the bird represents more nearly the gyra- 
I tions one might expect if a lobster was used instead of a bird, 
and I feel perfectly satisfied that 99 out of 100 genuine sports^ 
men would go home better .pleased in having seen 50 hundred 
good shots on the wing than the slaughter of some ten thousand 
= half dead, ill-fed birds, tossed into the air and shot without 
exhibiting the slightest motion of a bird in fl ight. 

' Where will be found the genuine lover of field sports who 
would not rather kill say 12 brace of prairie chickens or quails, or 
even 20 couples of jack snipe, over a brace of good dogs, than 

c 

bag four or five times that quantity of game if driven to the 
muzzle of his gun ? 

So with trap shooting. Give up the idea that sport and enjoy- 
* ment consists in the slaughter of the largest given quantity of 
birds, and encourage the practice of less in number, and the 
exhibition of that sort of skill, the excellence of which will qualify 
for the enjoyment of that most exhilerating sport to be found on 
the prairies and in the stubbles. 

A shooting ground ought, on the score of economy, to have a 
good, well-ventilated pigeon house, so that if birds are left over 
they need not be wasted and kept in coops huddled together 
before being required for a shoot. It is far better to have birds 
on hand several days before a tournament than run the risk of 
delay or neglect of expressage and consequent annoyance, to say 
nothing of the better condition of the birds. 

There should be a compartment for tame birds, another with 
canvass lining over head for wild ones, and one for a hospital 
which should have a few perches close to the floor, say about 4 to 6 
inches, as sickly birds are often illtreated by the strong ones, and 
wild and tame birds do not get on well together. 

A barn can be easily put together so that the birds can neither see 
nor be seen. Get lumber 8 feet long and set them upright to over- 
lap each other, one board in front of two, about i | in. with about 


38 


same distance between outer and inner boards,’ and make the 
roof in same way. By that means you get perfect ventilation and 
perfect isolation. 

On the ground of humanity, every bird should be gathered 
after each* shot, and killed at once. In the Lucas-Price matches, at 
St. Louis, I first introduced dogs to bring in the birds, as it saves 
much time. Lucas’ setter Don and my pointer Sancho did the 
work alternately, and nearly every bird was brought in by the time 
the next one was trapped, and a dog shows no favor, but goes 
straight to the bird regardless of the stake depending upon its 
being scored. 

I attended a large club shoot where six or eight boys were 
employed to fill six traps at express speed. The birds were 
thrown into the air by the plunge trap, and after killing them as 
fast as possible all the day, they felt pleasure, I suppose, in 
being able to relate to their friends who knew nothing about the 
merits how many birds they had killed in a given quantity, and 
that is called sport. 

One of the rules of the club was that the bird should be shot at 
when on the wing^ and that the gun should be below the elbow 
until the bird was on the wing. If those rules had been strictly 
observed, not one in lo was rightly scored, for they were shot at 
long before their wings had ever been extended in proper flight, 

• i' 

such as a bird would take in the field. 

Many birds, especially wild ones, get just the tip of the wing 
broken when caught or in traveling or handling, which can be 
easily observed in ground trap shooting, as, being unable to rise, 
they are rejected, but if thrown from a plunge trap, even if never 
touched with a single shot, they are allowed as a dead bird, and 
it is not at all unlikely where it is known what shooter the bird is 
intended for when trapped, the wing may have been broken 
intentionally. 

In shooting from five traps with a dice, the trapper never can 
tell who will have the bird, therefore no collusion or favoritism 
will avail. 

I was once explaining to the .secretary of a large club how 
much better it was to shoot from the ground trap, and he told 




0 


39 


me that the five trap plan was too slow for their club, as the trap 
had to be filled each shot, and they could not kill enough birds. 

Of course, the ground trap shooting does not give the man who 
supplies the birds so much profit as the plunge trap does, but I 
hardly suppose the pigeon purveyor is to be considered to the 
detriment of the whole body of shooters. 

Class shooting not being known except in America, it is per- 
haps well just to explain it. Every man in the shoot proper at 
21 yards has a certain number of birds. All that make a clean 
score go into the first class, and are entitled to shoot off for the 
first prize at 36 yards. Those that miss one bird shoot off for 
second prize at 36 yards, and those missing two, shoot for 
third prize at 26 yards. If there are any ties in the second con- 
test, all go back next time to 31 yards and remain at that dis- 

i 

tance until shot through^ so that the prizes do not go to the best 
shots. It is a delusion and a snare to induce a novice to believe 
that he has a chance of winning. • 

The system is open to many very serious objections. A man 
who can not kill more than 8 birds out of 10 at 21 yards rise from 
the plunge trap, has no right to expect a prize iox good shooting, 
which should be the object in all competitions. 

It is not usual in other sports. In horse racing, only the best 
get prizes ; whereas, here the second best gets nothing. It is 
also open to collusion, for you will often find that 3 or 
4 of the very best shots '‘^form a fool^"^^ and instead of 
honestly contesting for the first prize, they agree before starting 
to divide winnings, and then some intentionally miss one, two or 
three birds, as the case may require, by carefully watching the 
score book. 

The ordinary shooter or novice who has scored his eight birds, 
finds himself in the ties at an increased distance, competing with 
men who would on their merits be in the first class ; therefore, 
unless some accident occurs, this clique or ring of sfortsmen 
pocket nearly, if not all the prizes, and quietly divide them 
equally afterwards. 

This little game is played nearly everywhere ; not only by 
so-called professio 7 tal shots, but as much by those position 

and pretensions should place them above suspicion. A man may 


40 


argue that he has a right to miss one or more birds if he likes ; 
but I maintain that he has no such liberty according to all notions 
of propriety. So soon as he enters the arena of public com- 
petition, he becomes, so to speak, a public man ; and his acts are 
open to public criticism. The spirit and meaning of all com- 
petition is, that every one should do his best^ and the shooter who 
kills his eight out of lo birds, becomes properly and justly enti- 
tled to contest for the third prize. But if another man inten- 
tionally misses two birds and gets into the third class, he com- 
mits a 'wilful and deliberate fraud upon every man who has to 
meet him in the ties for that prize. 

I do not find fault with class shooting if honestly carried out ; 
the shoot proper being merely a' trial from which to obtain a 
handicap of three classes ; but after having found the exact hand- 
icap of each shooter, the three prizes ought to be of equal value 
to make it fair and just ; after all that is done you cannot tell 
whether every one has shot honestly and square in the trial ; that 
is the weak point, and there is no remedy for it. 

An owner of race horses may say that he has a right to lose a 
race if he thinks proper; but in England the Jockey Club steps in 
and says ^‘your horse is public property so soon as he comes 
under our rules f and then let him lose a race intentionally and 
be detected, he would never have a chance to run another horse, 
nor would the jockey be allowed to ride one. 

I say, therefore, that it is far better to do away with such con- 
ditions altogether, if they encourage roguery and deceit,^ and 
shoot under rules that can offer no inducement for anything but 
straightforward, honest competition. No other country in the 
world can produce such a lot of fine shots as there are here; it 
puzzles me, therefore, how such an enlightened body of sports- 
men should have tolerated class shooting for such a length of 
time. Let the prizes be given to the three or more best shots, to 
be shot out bird for bird after the ties, if any, and save time and 
expense of pigeons. Under the present system, too much is ex- 
pended on the birds in shooting off ties, leaving very little for the 
winners in ordinary sweeps. 

In order to give a reasonable chance to an inferior shot, let all 
be handicapped according to ability, at from 24 to 30 yards rise ; 


41 


and if the man at 24 yards is not a match for the very best at 30 
yards, he cannot be said to have sufficient ability to expect reward 
in any competition. 

There cannot be a greater fallacy than for an inferior shot to 
suppose himself on equal’ terms with a champion, because there 
are several classes ; as many prizes as are given, so many first 
class men will go for them, and it is unfair then for him to sub- 
scribe an equal amount to the pool. 

With a moderate entry of, say 50, at any State tournament, 
it is 1,000 to I against a novice getting a prize, unless he hap- 
pens to have a score to himself unnoticed, and not have to shoot 
off the ties. 

If a novice wanted a ‘match single handed for money, the first 
class man would lay him $500 to $50, knowing it is 500 to i 
against his winning at equal distances ; and that nothing short of 
some accident could prevent ‘the giver of odds from taking it. 
But if properly handicapped, every man can stand a fair and 
equal chance of getting a prize, as the best can only make a given 
score at five trap shooting at 30 yards, if good birds. 

In horse racing it is well known that weight will bring a pony 
and a race horse on equal terms ; so in handicap pigeon shooting. 
Every man who can use a gun at all, should have good^fair 
and square look in, which he can get in a handicap, and not throw 
his entrance money into a vortex. At present he stands in much 
the same position to a first class shot as a jackal does to the 
lion, simply provides him with food. 

I know of an instance where, at one of the State Tourna- 
ments of 1879, a fine shot, who actually made the best score of 
the entire week, did not get a prize of a single cent, just because 
he was not in a ring^ and it so fell out, that he, like Haidee in 
Don Juan — 

‘‘ Forgot, 

Just at the very moment she should not.’’ 

We wish to see every good, honest sportsman, handle some of 
the chips occasionally, and not find himself $75 or $100 out of 
pocket every time he. favors a tournament with his presence. 


42 


Again, to bar a man from shooting because we think him a lit- 
tle better than ourselves, is very poor encouragement for excel- 
lence, and is mean and cowardly in the extreme ; it offers every 
inducement for a shooter to lose intentionally sometimes, so that 
no one should know how good he really is. 

In ordinary general shoots a champion should be put so that 
he may have a chance to win, and- then there should also be 
prizes offered sometimes for all on equal terms to give some 
encouragement for ability. 

I could relate two instances at least, where a stranger was act- 
ually barred, or as it was facetiously termed, ruled out^ from an 
open competition for no other reason than that they did not know 
him ; but he was unfortunately in the company of a good shot, 
and it was supposed they thought good shooting was as infectious 
as small pox. 

Ask the cha?npion wing shot of the world if he was ever 
barred^ or ruled out of an open sweepstakes in any of his Euro- 
pean excursions. I expect that he will tell you that not only was 
he invited to join in everything on the same terms as their best 
shots, but that when he won he was heartily congratulated on his 
success. 

In trap shooting, holding the gun below elbow until the bird is 
on the wing, is an unnatural and uneasy position ; and I will ven- 
ture my reputation that no one ever carries his gun so when walk- 
ing up to his dogs on game. 

If you wish to make killing more difficult, it might be carried 
so far as to load the gun after the bird has been loosed. I have 
seen men in a position at the trap, that arms, legs and gun, forci- 
bly reminds one of the collapsed sails of a windmill after a tor- 
nado. See sketch on cover. 

Let the shooter hold his gun under the shoulder in as easy a 
position as he would in the field, and keep it there until he says 
“Pull.’’ See sketch on cover. 

It is impossible for the referee, wherever he may be placed, to 
see the gun and the bird at the same instant. It often gives rise 
to dissatisfaction, and leaves the shooter too much at his mercy. 


43 


The very moment the shooter says “pull/’ the referee can turn to 
see that the bird is well on the wing when shot at, under the Eng- 
lish rules. 

It is nothing unusual to see scores of 45 to 48 out of 50 killed, 
at 21 yards, plunge traps, with sickly birds, of which perhaps a 
third or more never could have got over the boundary line any- 
how, if never shot at ; but let the birds be good, and well cared 
for, rise 30 yards from five ground traps, 5 yards apart, and the 
wind behind the birds, and open 80 yards boundary ; and the man 
who kills more than 40 out of his 50, can at once throw down 
the gauntlet for championship. 

There can be no pleasure in making the killing of pigeons in 
a competition so great a certainty. With the five trap shooting 
it is more difficult, and tests the skill of the performer to a much 
greater extent. 

Granted, it- is perhaps gratifying to see your name in the 
'‘'‘Chicago Field^^^ or some local paper, with a lot of straight 
strokes instead of duck’s eggs, but if all meet on fair terms, merit 
will come to the front. 

In this great country where “Liberty” is on every coin, and 
“Equality,” “Fraternity” and “Freedom” is on everyone’s 
tongue, all men, so long as they conduct themselves honestly, 
and uprightly, should be welcomed in trials of skill and excel- 
lence. 

“ Is he a gentleman, or blackguard ? Which } 

A gentleman! ! He acts as sich! I” 


44 


\ 


« 



Every State Association should, before the commencement of 
the shooting season, fix the handicap distance of each member for 
the year, which will continue, subject to any penalties for winning 
under rule 26 of the shooting code. 

The basis for adjusting the distances should be taken as under 
from 24 to 30 yards. 

24 yards, a known uncertain trap shot. 

25 yards, a novice at pigeon shooting. 

26 yards, a good game shot without experience at the trap. 

27 yards, a known good trap shot. 

28 yards, a fine trap shot and private winner. 

29 yards, a large public winner. 

30 yards, a champion shot on the wing. 

Each member should be furnished with a certificate of mem- 
bership of his State Association or Club, on which should be 
stated his handicap shooting distance, so that if he was taking 
p.art in any tournament outside his own State, the production of 
this certificate would entitle him to shoot at his settled distance, 
otherwise not being known he may expect to be handicapped at 
the extreme distance. The penalties for winning for each day 
will be found in rule 22, and in a tournament the winner of each 
large stake might fairly be penalized say 2 or 3 yards during the 
week, so as to give others a chance. 

I am afraid we are too apt to call any man a professional who 
is a little better shot than ourselves and likely to take from us the 
paltry dollars subscribed to the pool. 

Ask a shooter what is a professional shot.^ He will most 
likely reply, giving the name of some one entered against him of 


45 


whom he has a wholesome dread, as being one^ and would join 
in a crusade to mile him out right away on the least intimation 
that he would be backed if he proposed it. 

It reminds me of an answer I saw once as to the difference 
between orthodoxy and heterodoxy. Orthodoxy is my doxy, and 
heterodoxy is any body else’s doxy. 

Some time since, I attended a shoot at Wenona, Ills., at con- 
siderable expense, and was ruled out of an open sweepstakes, on 
the ground that if I was not then a f>rofessional I would he next 
week^ as I was advertised to shoot Bogardus for the champion- 
ship of the world in a few days afterwards. At Indianapolis I 
was asked to withdraw from a sw'eepstakes on the promise that I 
should certainly shoot in the next^ but although there were some 
twelve or fifteen shot in the first, not a single man would enter 
against me for the second. 

Referring to professional shots: I should very much like to 
know what a professional shot is that, he should be barred or 
ruled out of an open shot in this free country.^ 

If it is that to get a living at trap shooting constitutes a profes- 
sional shot, I have never yet met with one that could succeed 
in the business in England. A few that have tried it might, 
perhaps, be found in the county poor houses. 

Whether a man kills game and sends it to market or gives it 
away, it makes very little difference ; there are many who are 
constantly hunting, who are not thought professionals or market > 
hunters, who are, from constant practice, enabled to take most of 
the club prizes from others who, perhaps, handle a gun about 
once a month. 

This difference of skill and ability cannot be remedied by class 
shooting, but handicapping will give each a fair chance. 

There are lots of instances where men shoot matches for 
money, and do not hesitate to share the proceeds of the gate, and 
yet maintain their positions in high toned clubs. If a shooter of 
lower grade does the same thing, he is dubbed a professional at 
once. 


46 


I knew I would not be called a professional shot in my own 
country, so I thought I could get some exact information by ask- 
ing the question from the ‘‘ Chicago Field,’’ and I got the follow- 
ing verys traight and highly sensible reply. 

TRAP SHOOTING. 

‘‘ W. G. P. — Let me know in your next what constitutes the 
difference between a ‘‘ professional pigeon shot ” and an ama- 
teur pigeon shot.” Ans. — A professional trap shot is one who 

makes his living mainly or entirely by trap shooting. An ama- 
teur is one who shoots occasionally for his own sport. An 
amateur loses his title to be called an amateur as soon as he 
engages in any contest for added money, purse, prize or gate 
money in which a professional is engaged. But the line of 
demarcation is not drawn in this country in this sport as it is in 
other sports, for if it were so drawn and enforced, there would be 
few of our crack shots that could lay just claim to be called 
amateurs. 

After that I need not say anything, except that the sooner the 

« 

term is dropped the better, for there is scarcely a good shot in the 
country that has not at some time or other been directly or indi- 
rectly tainted with the professional disease. 

As well might a lot of lawyers or doctors endeavor to prevent 
another who, from extra study and assiduity, or a little more 
knowledge, has acquired a local reputation and is enabled there- 
by to command larger fees and increased business^ Jrom prac^/s- 
ing against them^ as for a man to be prevented shooting for 
prizes because he has attained a little more skill than others. One 
of these days we shall hear of an amateur runner being 
objected to, and on being questioned : “ Did you not run against 
‘ Time ’ a few weeks ago.^ ” I did. ‘‘ Did not ‘ so and so ’ the 
professional run also against ‘Time’ for money He did. 
Then, as you contended against “Time,” and “Time” had 
previously contended against a professional for money, you must, 
of course, be one. You are ruled out^ sir.” Not at all worse 
than I was served at Wenona. 

Since writing the above, I came across a singular case in the 
“ Chicago Field ” of yesterday. Sept. i8th: 


47 




Not long since I noticed in an account of a large State shoot, 
I am inclined to think it was in Iowa, but cannot be sure, that a 
well known sportsman who, by some good fortune, took the first 
money on the first day’s shooting, was barred at a meeting of the 
Association that same evening as being a professional shot. 

I have not the pleasure of being intimate with him, but I thought 
at the time it was a very unsportsmanlike proceeding, for, having 
noticed his scores at different shoots since I have been in this 
country, I imaginethat he has been as much the jackal and spent 
as much money freely in pigeon shooting as any man in his State. 

Now, I notice with pleasure that this sportsman upon whom 
the injustice was practiced, is announced in conjunction with four 
real honorables and one real captain as a judge at a large State 
Association field trials, to commence this month. One of the 
gentlemen connected with the “Chicago Field” was co? 7 iplimented 
with the offer of a similar appointment, but was reluctantly 
obliged to decline the honor in consequence of his position on 
that journal. 

Since the above remarks upon “ professional shots ” were writ- 
ten, I notice in the Chicago Field a challenge, which I cannot 
refrain from making some allusion to ; and as it is an open offer, 
I presume I am at liberty to refer to it. 

“A Challenge. — The St. Louis Gun Club have authorized 
us to make the following challenge: The club will shoot ten 

men against the same number of men, who have been members 
of any regularly organized club six months’ previous to the date 
of this challenge (professionals and market-shooters barred) for 
one thousand dollars a side ; thirty wild birds each man, ten at 21 
yards, ten at 26 yards, and ten at 31 yards rise, plunge traps. 
The match to be shot in St. Louis, and twenty dollars allowed 
each man for traveling expenses. Gate money to be divided, and 
the winning side to pay for the birds.” 

If ever a challenge was issued more strongly flavored with the 
professional element, I never saw it. 20 gentlemen, members of 
high-toned Gun Clubs, dividing gate money \ Again, twenty 
dollars to be allowed each gentle 7 ?ian for traveling expenses. 
Now if such challenge had stipulated that the match was to be 
shot for the proud title of supremacy f choice of place to be 


48 




decided by tossing, free admission to the public, and each man to 
pay his own expenses, cost of birds, and a good dinner and wine 
afterwards, I could appreciate it. 

The conditions here are such that the verriest exhibition shooter, 
whose sole existence depended upon his gun, could not have been 
made to appear more like a money-making transaction than this 
one does. 

Again, what has the poor market hunter done, that he is to be 
lowered in the scale of creation^ and not thought fit to consort 
with your club man? Is this a Republican doctrine.^ I cannot de- 
tect what difference it makes to a farmer whether your high-toned 
hunter or your fnarket hunter^ kills his game and takes it off his 
land. I should not be at all surprised if your market-hunter does 
not leave more game behind him at the farm houses than the 
others, at least it is what I have learned from my intercourse with 
the farmers themselves. On one point there is a marked differ- 
ence. If a farmer politely asks a market-hunter not to trespass 
on his land, he keeps a civil tongue iit his head^ and heeds the 
warning, because he can not afford to pay $35 in fine and costs 
for trespass. Not so with your rich man to whom $35 is as a 
flea bite. He often considers himself perfectly justified in abus- 
ing the man who is endeavoring to protect his own rights, and 
indulging in language not fit for ears folite, 

I was brought up in what is called an exclusive school,, but I 
have been here long enough to see that among the many very 
jolly, good-hearted sportsmen I have met, there will of necessity 
be, or rather there are, some few of the veriest exclusivists that 
would do well to mix with the staunchest Conservative or Tory 
that my country could produce. 

Should the challenge be taken up, and the names of the 30 shoot- 
ers be made known, it is considerable odds that 15 of the 30 will be 
found, either by direct or collateral evidence, to have joined in a 
contest for a 77 io 7 iey prize,^ either with an acknowledged profes- 
siofial shot, or with some one who from having engaged in a 
similar way, with those who may inadvertently have become con- 
taminated, and are, according to the dictum of the Chicago 
Field,, to all intents and purposes, professionals themselves. 


49 


There can be no half measures ; the line, if drawn at all, must 
be drawn straight, and there is no getting out of it. 

If they get tarred with the p}'ofessional brush it will stick to 
them. 

I confess from what I have seen, and as far as I am a judge of 
shooting, that I do not think any club in the United States, could 
send ten men that would have any .chance with the St. Louis 
Gun Club. 

The question is. 

Can the St. Louis Gun Club find ten first class men to come 
within the conditions? Perhaps they do not intend it to apply to 
themselves. 

Chicago could find the men, perhaps, but their best shots are 
split up into so many little clubs for the purposes of qualification 
for team shoots at the State Tournaments, in consequence of the 
very absurd rule that prevents a club from sending more than one 
team, that no one club there could furnish ten first class shots. 

I would much like to know what some of my blue-blooded 
countrymen, who shot matches with Bogardus when in England, 
would say if they were to be called ‘‘professional pigeon shots.’’ 

I would just casually mention \X\2it gate money is not known in 
England, among ordinary pigeon shooters. 

The admissions paid by the public go to augment the club 
funds and provide handsome silver cups and international tro- 
phies which are given to be shot for free, weekly, during the 
whole season. 


[From the Chicago Fields Oct. 23, 1880.] 

“ What IS A Professionai. ? — The challenge of the St. Louis 
Gun Club, published in our last issue, has brought us several 
inquiries, whom the club consider professional trap shooters. 
To express the views of the club on that subject is not within our 
power ; but having been also requested to state what we consider 
constitutes a professional, we have no hesitancy in saying that a 
man can be regarded as a professional only, who makes his liv- 
ing by trap shooting; in other words, one whose business is trap 
shooting. The fact that a man has shot for money does not, at 


I 

\ 


50 


the present day, constitute a professional, for if so, there would be 
very few who shoot at the trap who would not be professionals, 
as every man who has shot in a tournament would be one. 
Whether for five dollars or five hundred, does not make any dif- 
ference. The time was when such a distinction could be made ; 
but, like many other rules, the current of events has completely 
obliterated it. And how gate money has any bearing on the 
question, we fail to see. Who, for instance, would claim Mr. 
W. B. Hauworth and Mr. J. D. Lucas to be professionals.^ 
Each has shot for a large stake and for gate money, and is in 
business and shoots at the trap for pleasure ; neither makes his 
living by it. On this subject we shall have more to say at a future 
time, as it is a most important one to trap shooters, and is con- 
stantly coming up at tournaments and causing much annoyance 
to those whose only claim to be considered professionals is, that 
they are good shots.” 

It will be seen the bold challenge of the St. Louis Club has 
opened up a controversy which I hope will be the means, before 
the trap shooting season commences, of once and for all settling 
this question. The Club should reply. The above sensible 
article has just hit the right nail on the head,^ the whole secret 
lies in the concluding 14 words. Although invitations are issued 
by advertisements to induce most good and noted shots to attend 
tournaments in order to draw a crowd of visitors, if a man travels 
some hundreds of miles, it niatters little whether he wears blue 
jeans or the orthodox hunting suit, it is 10 to i if he is a good 
shot, and likely to win a prize or two, that he gets barred or 
ruled out. 

Away with such petty, miserable subterfuges, once and forever, 
and throw the whole thing open to the world in the interest of 
sport and friendship. 

Here is an example worthy of imitation throughout the 
country. 

ST. LOUIS SPORTSMEN’S CLUB. 

President , V ice-President , 

Capt. W. W. Judy. Gwynne Price. 

Treasurer , Secretary , 

Frederick Pohlmann. Charles B. Woodward. 


51 


Any sportsman will be allowed to join in the sweepstakes, , 
without any risk of being ruled out^ and enjoy the privileges of 
the Club without cost. Visitors admitted free. Regular shoots 
every Friday during the season. The Club prosecutes dog 
stealers. 

Now contrast the above manly and sportsmanlike conditions 
with the exclusive, dog in the manger rules of some Clubs, 
where they will not even admit the public by payment, to see the 
shooting. 

I cannot conclude without tendering my heartfelt thanks to a 
large number of sportsmen and others I have met with during 
three years hunting in this country, for much kindly expression of 
good feeling and welcome. 

In offering my opinions on little shooting matters at very likely 
jtheir full value, 25c., I have no desire to thrust my enthusiasms 
upon anybody, although I have been accused of doing so, and been 
told that as an alien I have no right to offer an opinion. No 
great harm can come from it, however, and some little good 
might. Not a single word is written with the least unfriendly 
feeling towards anybody. If I write apparently strongly, it is 
because I feel sensitive on the points to which I refer ; and it is, 
perhaps, my failing to feel what I write^ and write what I 
feel.’^ 

My desire is — 

To See class shooting abolished as e?zcour aging fraud. 

To do away with any distinction between professional and 
other shooters, as impracticable and hnpolitic. 

To discontinue plunge traps, puerile and unsportsmanlike. 

To adopt ground traps and handicap distances, so as to give 
every shooter a fair chance of winning. 

To have birds better cared for and trapped in good condition,, 
and the object of this little publication will have been attained. 

'"'‘Go forth my little book,, from this thy solitude,, 

I cast thee on the world — 

Where after many days,, perhaps,, there may spring forth 
Such heaps of blossozns that 

*‘^Boshf says a sportmg fiezzd looking over my shoulder 
while I am writing, much znore likely to find it lining some 


52 


new trunks wrapping up caramels^ or butter at the corner 
shop ! ’ * 

Away with it to the d 1 at once, and let it take its chance ! 

I mean the printers imp of that name, of course. This, after all 
my trouble ? My heart is bursting ! ! I can no more ! ! 

Very faithfully, 

GWYNNE PRICE. 



53 


Records of Matches Under 



iSH Rules 


V 


IN 1880 . 


I would suggest that in sending for publication, reports of 
matches or sweepstakes, under English rules, where the value of 
' the prize is not less than fifty dollars, that the name of the maker 
of the winning gun and powder should be given. It would be a 
good reference. Thus: 

I. B. Sharpsight, lo bore 9 lbs. gun, imp. W. W, Greener. 

Dittmar & Orange, Lightning powder, ist prize, $150, or, 

U. R. A. Quickshot, 12 bore, 8 lbs. gun, Jos. W. Crookes,- 

St. Louis, Orange Lightning powder, divided, ist prize, $75 
each. 

The figure 2 to denote killed with second barrel is a very simple 
mode of scoring. It is very advisable in handicap shooting that 
where the contestants in the ties agree to divide the money, the 
match should be shot out bird for bird for the purpose of classi- 
fication and records, and more particularly because only one need 
be penalized for winning, unless the second and third prizes should 
be $100 or more, in which case, of course, they wmuld be subject 
to the penalty also. 

Ground trap shooting is destined next season to assume a 
national importance, therefore, a few records of the past year may 
not be uninteresting for future reference. 

The value of a record score depends entirely upon the quality 
of the birds shot at and the circumstances attending the shoot such 
as weather, boundary, and how many birds were killed within the 
circle of the traps as incomers. The newspaper reports should 
give all requisite information. 


The first match of the season was between Fred Erb, jr., 28 
yards, and Captain Bogardus at 30 yards rise, at St. Joseph, Mo. 
Erb scored 93 and the Captain 83. 

I have no published report, but have been credibly informed 
the birds were so bad that not one in ten would leave the traps 
without being driven away by local boys who had a propensity to 
make Erb’s birds fly towards the gun, and that considerably more 
than half of his birds were killed inside the circle of the traps. 
As a record, therefore, I consider it unworthy of notice. 


THE BOGARDUS-ERB MATCH AT ST. LOUIS, MO. 

MAY I, 1880. 

Conditions of Match : 

100 Wild Pigeons each, five grpund traps, five yards apart; 
English rules; 30 yards rise. 

Captain Bogardus, before commencing operations, made a state- 
ment to the effect that the announcement that the match was for 
$500 a side was erroneous. The preliminary arrangements by 
telegraph stipulated for that amount, but a stake for $100 a side 
was ultimately agreed on. There was no trouble in selecting a 
referee, Mr. S. A. Tucker, the Western agent for the Parker 
gun, who was acceptable to both parties, kindly consenting to act. 
It was suggested that the men should toss to decide who was to 
lead off, at which Erb remarked, ‘‘You start the ball — ^you’re the 
champion,’’ and Bogardus accommodated him to that extent. 

The birds were wild ones, and at the distance — thirty yards — 
very hard to kill, a good many of them carrying lots of shot be- 
yond the flags. 

They were said by some who had never seen anything but 
plunge traps, not to have been good, because three or four were 
trapped with the wings tipped in traveling, which could not be 
noticed unless they had been loosed in the barn ; and some half 
dozen in the 200 were slow from traps. 

It was understood that they only arrived on the ground about 
an hour before sweepstakes shooting commenced, after a journey 
from Northern Michigan, of three nights and two days. They 
were refreshed in the hampers with a little soaked corn, and the 


55 

S 

j 200 required for the match were selected by the Captain and his 
, bottle^holde?'^ Abe Klehiman, and watered. 

What sort of a score the two great champions would have made 
if the birds had been treated to a few days’ rest in a barn, is only 
conjecture ; as it will be seen from a carefully taken return, that 
with one barrel only, Erb would have made a record of 55 and 
Bogardus 65 ; sb the expressed opinion is not worth much, for, if 
the birds had not been good, a better score would have been 
made without the second barrel. 

What little wind there was to assist the birds from the traps 
was kept from them by the spectators crowding round the 
shooters. 

Under the ground trap rules, a bird must fly, therefore, if shot 
at on the wing, there is no necessity to examine it for shot marks. 


THE SCORE. 


Bogardus- 


I 

I 

I 

i 

I 

3 

I 

0 

I 

I 

2 

I 

0 

I 

I 

I 

2 

0 

2 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

1 

2 

I 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

* 

I 

3 


I 

I 

1 

2 

2 

I 

I 

I 

2 

0 

I 

2 

2 

I 


2 

I 

2 

I 

2 

1 

!• 

I 

2 

I 

0 

2 

2 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

2 

I 

0 

I 

I 

1 

T 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

I 

1 

0 

I 

2 

I 

I 

I 

Erb— 




















i 

2 

2 

0 

1 

0 

I 

0 

0 

0 


2 

I 

1 

3 

I 

I 

I 

1 

0 

0 

I 

I 

3 

I 

3 

3 

I 

2 

I 

0 

0 


I 

I 

[ 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

1 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

[ 

I 

2 

2 

2 

0 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

0 

I 

P 

I 

¥ 

I 

I 

0 


I 

2 

0 

I 

2 

I 

I 

2 

I 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 


*Fell dead out of bounds. 


86 


83 


MATCH BETWEEN BOGARDUS AND RIMELL, 

AT NEW YORK. 

[From New T^ork Herald^ July i, 1880.] 

‘‘The first of the two shooting matches between Capt. Bogardus 
and Mr. Rimell for $500 each at 100 birds each came off yesterday 
afternoon on the race course at Brighton Beach, Coney Island, 
which was won by Captain Bogardus, who shot Mr. Rimell out at 


56 


the ninety-first bird, he then being lo birds ahead. Bogardus shot 
at thirty yaMs and Rimell at twenty-nine yards rise. 

Captain Bogardus shot with a hammerless gun made by Scott, 
of London, a twelve bore, weighing ten pounds, six ounces, in 
which he used in the first barrel Dittmar powder and No. 8 shot, 
and in the second barrel he used Orange Lightning powder and 
No. 7 shot, with five drachms of powder in each. Mr. Rimell 
shot with a gun made by Price, of London, weighing nine and a 
quarter pounds, ten bore ; the first barrel a concentrator and the 
second a choke bore, five drachms of powder in each. The birds 
were all wild, brought from a distane, and on the way many were 
injured and could not fly when the traps were sprung, but others 
were as wild a lot as were ever shot at, and went away like the 
wind. The attendance was quite numerous, and considerable 
betting was indulged in. Captain Bogardus being a great favorite. 
The following is 

THE RUNNING SCORE. 

Captain Bogardus — iiioi, iiioi,iiiio, iriii, iiiii,oiiio, 
11100,01111, mil, mil, mil, i looo, mii, iim, mii, 
mil, mio, mil, i. Total, 91 — killed, .79; missed, 12. 

Mr. Rimell — 01 100, omi, loioi, iioii, 1001 1, iiooi, moi, 
lom, mil, mil, imi, lom, lom, iioii, mii, moi, 
01 100, 01 101, I. Total, 91 — killed, 69; missed, 23. 

Bogardus — 

Towerers — mii. Total, 5 — all killed. 

Incomer — i. Killed. 

Rimell — 

Towerers — m. Killed all. 

Incomers — ii. Killed both. 

Twister — i. Killed.’’ 

[The New York says of this match :] 

‘‘The shooting, as a whole, was just good, some extraordinarily 
good work being done, while both men did some very bad shooting, 
Bogardus missing three at one time in succession that certainly 
looked like carelessness. Rimell, when in good condition — which 
he was not in yesterday — is certainly an excellent shot, and some 
of his kills with his choke-bored second were wonderful shots. 


57 


But to beat a man like Bogardus, especially in a shoot at loo 
birds, needs not only great skill but perfect condition.’^ 

SECOND MATCH BETWEEN BOGARDUS & RIMELL, 

AT NEW YORK, JULY 3D, 1880. 

[From the New York Clipper. ~\ 

‘^The weather was much pleasanter on the day of the second 
match, when the conditions were the same as before, with the 
exception that Rimell stood twenty-eight yards from the traps, 
while Bogardus stood at thirty yards. The batch of birds brought 
for this match were better than had been used before, but the 
marksmanship displayed was grand, and precious few of them' 
managed to elude the lead. Of those fired at by Bogardus, only 
one flew out of bounds, and even it did not escape with its life, 
falling dead when beyond the limit. The champion shot with 
the most unerring accuracy, killing forty-six in succession to com- 
mence with, losing the next, and then dropping the remaining 
fifty- three, which gave him the unequaled total, at thirty yards 
rise, of ninety-nine birds out of one hundred. Rimell also did 
splendid shooting, killing eighty-eight out of his hundred, but the 
American was in such great form that the Englishman’s score, 
though large enough to bet upon in most cases, had no chance. 
As in the previous match. Captain Bogardus shot with a ham- 
merless gun made by Scott, of London, a ten-bore, weighing ten 
pounds six ounces, in which he used in the first barrel Dittmar 
powder and No. 8 shot, and in the second barrel he used Orange 
Lightning powder and No. 7 shot, with five drachms of powder 
in each* Mr. Rimell shot with a gun made by Price of London, 
weighing nine and a quarter pounds, ten-bore, the first barrel a 
concentrator and the second a choke-bore, five drachms of powder 
in each. The full score follows: 

Bogardus — inn, inn, inn, inn, inn, inn, inn, 
inn, inn, loiii, inn, inn, inn, inn, inn, inn, 
mil, inn, inn, inn. Total, 100 — killed, 99; missed, i. 

Rimell — nioi, inn, non, oioii, onn, inn, inn, 
inn, non, nno, inn, inn, 11011,01110, inn, inn, 
inn, inn, non, nno. Total, 100 — killed, 88; missed, 12. 

Incomers, 2. 

Referee, P. Kelly, Fountain Gun Club.. Time, 3b. 


58 


In the first match Bogardus had thirty-five rightaway birds, of 
which he killed twenty-seven ; and Rimell forty-one, of which he 
grassed twenty-seven. In the second match Bogardus had thirty- 
five rightaways, killing all, and Rimell had fifty-three, of which 
he knocked over forty-two. There was but a single incomer for 
each man in each match. The powder used by Rimell made 
such a dense smoke that it was difficult to hit with the second 
barrel.’’ 

[The New York World says of this match:] 

A better display of wing shooting was never seen in this or 
^ any other country ; both of the scores being equal to if not better 
than ever heard of before. The birds shot at were wild and very 
small, and the majority were very fast, only one bird being killed 
inside the traps.” 


THIRD MATCH, BOGARDUS RIMELL, 

AT Pittsburg, July io, 1880. 

[From the Pittsburg Papers.] 

“Capt. A. PI. Bogardus, the champion wing shot of the world, 
and Mr. George Rimell, of England, met for the third and decid- 
ing contest yesterday afternoon, on the Exposition grounds. The 
match was for $250 a side. The weather was unusually warm, 
and there was a slight wind blowing from the right quarter, 
which will account for the many left quarter ” birds. Bogardus 
used his new hammerless Scott gun, weighing 10^ pounds with 
Dittmar powder in the first barrel and Orange Lightning No. 6 in 
the second barrel, ij oz. shot. Rimell used a Price (London) 
gun, 9J lbs. weight, with Dittmar powder in the first barrel and 
Orange Lightning powder, i J oz. shot in the second. The shoot- 
ing was under the English rules, with the exception of the “ rise ” 
and “boundary,” as Bogardus stood at thirty yards and Rimell 
at twenty-eight yards, and the boundary was in some places only 
about fifty yards, while in others nearly ninety, (the enclosed 
grounds being the boundary). The birds, supplied by Bown & 
Son, were in very good condition, they being young, wild ones. 


59 


and out of the two hundred, there were only two incomers and 
four loafers, and when set at liberty rose rapidly in the air, but 
so skillful were the contestants that few escaped with their lives. 
Taking the condition of the ground into consideration, the shoot- 
ing was excellent, and was hugely enjoyed by the six hundred 
spectators who were inside the enclosure, and by about half that 
number who were oh board piles and house tops in the neighbor- 
hood. Sporting men who witnessed it, say the greatest skill was 
shown by both marksmen. 

The contest consumed three hours, the men keeping constantly 
at their work. The following is the official score and summary; 

THE SCORE. 

Bogardus’ Score — 1 112110*1110*1111211211121122111121112 
11111112211 1 1221210*1 1 12 1 12 1 1 1 10*2221211 1 1 1 12 12 1 222 1 1 12 1 1 
211112111. Total, 100. 

Rimells Score — 2120*22221 112:212111 10*21 11111111 1222022 1 
20*00*1221 1112111112111 1122211 1 10*20*1 1 1 1 10*211 1122222122 
2110*1*11212. Total, 100. 

2 Denotes killed with the seeond barrel. 

* Fell out of bounds. 

RECAPITULATION. 


Bogardus — Birds shot at, 100; used the second barrel 31 times. 




Killed, 

Missed. 

Drivers 

41 

40 

I 

Quarterers to right.! 


23 

3 

Quarterers to left 

32 

32 

0 

Towerers 


I 

0 

Incomers 


0 

0 

Totals 

Dead out of bounds, 4. 


96 

4 

Rimell — Birds shot at, 100; u 

sed the second barrel 

Killed, 

41 times. 
Missed^ 

Drivers 


21 

3 

Quarterers to right 

3 ^ 

29 

7 

Quarterers to left 

38 

38 

0 

Towerers 


0 

0 

Incomers 


2 

0 

Totals 

Dead out of bounds, 9. 


90 

10 

Referee — S. S. D. Thompson, 

of the Sportsman Association^ 


Official Scorer — E. F. Bown. 


60 


Bogardus has gone to Albany, where his son shoots a match 
to-morrow. ^Rimell has gone to the Rocky Mountains and the 
Indian Territory, where he will remain some considerable time, 
to further test his skill at large game. He has announced he 
is willing to contest with any marksman in the country except 
Bogardus.” 

‘ CAPT. A. H. BOGARDUS C. G. JEWETT. 

H0WE1.L, Mich. 

From “Chicago Field;” — “The Howell tournament took 
place August ii to 13, inclusive, as advertised, and was a grand 
success in every particular. The weather was beautiful, the 
birds were a splendid lot as I ever saw, and the attendance of 
shooters was much larger than we expected. The great event of 
the tournament was the match between Captain A. H. Bogardus 
and C. G. Jewett at 100 birds each, ground traps, 30 yards rise, 
English rules. 

Capt. Bogardus shot his Scott hammerless gun, using Dittmar 
in his first and black powder in his second barrel ; while Mr. Jew- 
ett used black powder in both barrels, and using the same gun 
(a Claybrough) that he has shot for two years, and with which 
he has won the Bogardus Glass Ball Championship Medal of 
America, the Michigan State Medal, the Howell Gun Club Med- 
al, the M. S. Smith Silver cup, and in fact every other trophy 
that has been put in his way ; and as soon as he wins our shot 
guns we will be ready to turn him over to the foreigners. 

The match began at 2:15 p. m., with Jewett at the score, drop- 
ping his first bird, a hard driver, within five feet of the trap. 
The Captain on his fifth round got a driver with a constitution 
like that of Dr. Tanner, and after being filled full of shot from 
both barrels, struggled beyond the flags; his 14th and 31st flew 
away unharmed, while his 37th dropped dead over the boundary ; 
he also lost his 51st, 69th, and 98th birds. Jewett killed his first 
45 birds without a miss, his 46th falling dead out of bounds ; here 
a little mishap occurred to Mr. Jewett, which probably was the 
main cause of his losing the match ; on the 47th round the plun- 
ger came out of his left barrel, and while waiting for another 


61 


plunger to be put in, shot the Captain’s gun, a thing he ought, 
and most certainly would not have done, had the match been for 
a stake of any importance. Again, when he had killed his forty- 
five birds without a miss, he was four ahead of the champion, 
and perhaps felt a little over confident that the match was his, and 
was not taking as much pains as he should have done, and instead 
of killing his birds close to the trap, he had unconsciously grown 
into the habit of letting his bird get too far from the trap before 
using his first barrel, and the second was of little avail ; however, 
as soon as he discovered his error he settled down to business, 
only missing one bird in his last thirty-three. This is Mr. Jew- 
ett’s first match at lOO birds; taking into consideration that he 
was shooting against the old war horse himself, his score was 
remarkable, and I doubt if you will see its equal in any of the 
trial matches yet to come off. 

About 200 people witnessed the match, and were as orderly as 
a Quaker congregation. Time, two hours and thirty minutes. 
The score of the match is as follows: 


SCORE. 


Bogardus. . 1221* 11122 11201 22111 

lOI 12 21III II2II I22TI 

I loi I — 93. 

Jewett 11112 21122 11211 mil 

iiior OHIO 21001 *0112 
— 90. 

2 Second barrel. 

* Dead out of bounds. 
Bogardus. 


Drivers • *31 

Right quarter 49 

Left quarter 19 

Incomers r 


21111 22121 10122 12*11 11222 iiiii 
non 11112 inn inn inn inn 

11112 11112 22211 12211 inn *n*i 
21111 11121 12221 11211 12212 01112 


Jewett. 


Drivers • • *39 

Right quarter 37 

Left quarter 23 

Incomers i 


100 100. 

Killed with second barrel — Bogardus, 27 ; Jewett, 23. 

E. F. Mulliken, referee. ” 


I 


62 


MATCH BETWEEN JOSEPH D. LUCAS AND GWYNNE 

PRICE, AT ST. LOUIS, MO., 

July 29, 1880. 

[From the Chicago iFieldC\ 

THE PIGEON SHOOT AT THE GRAND AVENUE PARK. 


y. D. Lucas Kills 91 in a Hund 7 'ed Birdsy under the Eng- 
lish Rules, 


“The pigeon match which took place to-day (July 29), on the 
grounds of the St. Louis Sportsmen’s Club, between Messrs. 
Jos. D. Lucas and Gwynne Price, the English wing shot, resulted 
in a handsome victory for St. Louis’ representative, by a score of 
91 to 75. ^ ^ 

The conditions of the match were 100 wild pigeons each, from 
five new model ground traps, same as used in the Bogardus- 
Rimell matches, thirty yards from shooter and placed five yards 
apart ; trap pulled decided by dice, unknown to shooter ; double 
gun, use of both barrels ; shooting under Gwynne Price’s new 
code of English rules ; for a purse of $200 ; the loser to pay for 
the birds ; dead birds to be brought in by a dog. Capt. W. W. 
Judy, referee. 

The birds were very fine and strong, not a single young one in 
the lot ; they were supplied by Mr. W. W. Judy. Price shot very 
unluckily ; his birds would get over the boundary line, whereas 
those of his opponent were just the reverse. 

The experiment of cropping the tails of wild birds was tried 
for the first time, and had a very good effect, as they fly much 
steadier. 

Mr. Price, who has seen much trap shooting in England, said 
during the match that, after his experience of wild birds in this 
country, he liked them better, when in really good condition, than 
the blue rocks of the old country. The wild bird, he said, is 
considerably smaller than the average English blue rock, and no 


doubt a little softer in the skin and feather, but when in perfect 
condition he considers them as difficult to make a score with as 
any he has ever seen. 

The most novel feature of the match in this country was the 
introduction of dogs to bring in the birds, after the English fash- 
ion. Under the rules the bird is not scored until caught by the 
dog, but in nearly every instance the birds were brought in by the 
time the next bird could be trapped. Mr. Price’s pointer Sancho 
and Mr. Lucas’ setter Don did the work, both of which were 
credited with many fine catches, and received the most hearty 
approbation and applause from the delighted spectators. 

Immediately after the great match was over Gwynne Price 
offered to shoot another match on the same conditions, Mr. Lucas 
to stake $200 t© $100, and it is settled to come off on Saturday, 
the 7th, at the same place. 

Many prominent members of the St. Louis Sportsmen’s Club, 
St. Louis, Carondelet, and East St. Louis Gun Clubs, turned 
out to witness what resulted in a most excellent score. The 
arrangements and accommodations were commented upon for 
their unusual excellence. The following is 

THE SCORE. 

Price — 


2 I 

I 

2 

0 

0 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

2 

I 

I 

2 

0 

0 

I — 

•16 

I 0 

0 

I 

I 

I 

2 

2 

0 

2 

1 

2 

3 

0 

I 

2 

2 

I 

2 

2 — 

-16 

2 I 

0 

2 

2 

i 

2 

2 

I 

I 

0 

0 

0 

I 

2 

2 

2 

0 

I 

I — 

•15 

I I 

2 

0 

2 

2 - 

0 

2 

I 

I 

0 

2 

3 

0 

0 

0 

I 

2 

2 

I — 

■14 

I 2 

I 

2 

0 

I 

I 

I 

2 

3 

0 

I 

I 

0 

0 

I 

0 

2 

0 

2 — 

H— 75 

Lucas- 



















i I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

I - 

2- 

0 

I‘ 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

r 

2 

I — 

■18 

2 I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

3 

I 

2 

I 

0 

I 

2 

I 

2 

r 

2 — 

19 

3 I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

0 

3 

0 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

2 

0 — 

■17 

2 2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 

2 

2 

0 

I — 

■17 

2 2 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I — 

■20 91 


Only 2 incoming birds in the 200.” 

The St. Louis Globe- Democrat says of this match: 


‘‘It is only fair to state that fortune decreed that the English- 
man should have the most troublesome birds throughout, but it 
would have taken a Bogardus to outshoot Lucas yesterday. His 


64 


total of 91 dead birds out of 100 would have been a best on 
record six months ago. It has never been beaten in a match 
under similar rules by any one except Bogardus, and the cham- 
pion never equaled it when the birds were as strong as those 
which were furnished yesterday.” 


SECOND MATCH BETWEEN JOSEPH D. LUCAS AND 

GWYNNE PRICE AT ST. LOUIS, 

AUGUST 7 th, 1880. 

yFroni the St, Louis Republican,~\ 

GWYNNE PRICE WINS HIS MATCH WITH J. D. LUCAS. 

The shoot between J. D. Lucas and Gwynne Price yesterday 
afternoon at the Grand Avenue park resulted in a Victory for the 
Englishman, after an even and at the end very exciting contest. 
The crowd was not a large one. The match was at 100 birds 
each, from five new-made ground traps, same as used in the 
Bogardus-Rimell matches, thirty yards from shooter and placed 
five yards apart ; traps pulled decided by dice, unknown to shoot- 
er; double gun, use of both barrels; shooting under Gwynne 
Price’s new code of English rules, Price staking $100 to Lucas’ 
$200 ; dead birds to be brought in by dog. Capt. W. W. Judy 
officiated as referee. The pigeons proved very lively. Mr. 
Lucas used a Parker gun with Dittmar powder, loading his first 
barrel with No. 9 shot and his second with No. 7. Mr. Price 
used a Price of England gun and loaded with orange lightning 
using the same shot as Lucas. 

THE CONTEST 

Opened very favorably for Price. He was evidently in good fix, 
for he downed 14 birds, nearly all tailers, before he made a miss 
of it. On the other hand, Lucas missed his fifth and eighth 
birds, and killed 9 straight. When 25 birds had been disposed 
of the score stood at 23 to 21 in favor of Price, and the friends of 
that gentleman were jubilant accordingly. From the twenty- 
fifth to the fiftieth bird Price weakened a little, so that when the 
fiftieth bird was disposed of he led Lucas by a single. Then the 
contest began to grow interesting. The luck, as usual, had been. 


65 

t 


against Price. His thirty-eighth bird got as far as the top of the 
fence and stood tottering there. It was a toss-up as to which 
side it would fall on. After staggering it fell on the outside, and 
a lost bird was credited the shooter. His fifty-fourth ran all 
around the park with the setter after him. The dog won the 
race, catching the bird on the fly. When sixty birds had been 
disposed of Lucas was still but a single one in the rear. Price 
made things even by missing his 63d, and Lucas dropped back a 
peg by missing his 64th. So they went at it nip and tuck until 
the 90th bird on each side had been disposed of, when, as the 
scorer put it, Price had killed 74 birds and Lucas just as many. 
The next ten birds would settle the business. Price opened play 
with two barrels on a tailer and bagged his game. Lucas fol- 
lowed, winging his bird with the first barrel. Price followed 
with his two barrels again, but this time the feathers and the 
bird both flew, the latter going out of bounds. Lucas had luck 
again, bringing down the bird with his first barrel, and making 
figuers stand at 76 to 75 in his favor, with the crowd cheering. 
Price came to the front again and emptied both barrels with 
effect. Lucas missed his next bird, leaving the score again 
even and the crowd on the anxious seat. Price’s turn came again, 
and again he missed, leaving Lucas on the next shot, again in the 
lead. Ninety-five birds disposed of. Price killing 77 Lucas 
the same number, were the figures when Price began firing at 
his last five birds. He killed every one of them, while Lucas 
missed the first one of his five, and so lost the match by a single 
bird. 


THE SCORE. 


Price — 

- 2 

I 

I 

2 

I 

2 

I 

I 

2 

I 


I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 


I 

I 

0 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 

0 


I 

I 

0 

2 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

2 


2 

I 

1 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 

0 

Lucas— 

- I 

I 

2 

I 

0 

I 

I 

0 

2 

2 


0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

1 

0 


2 

2 

I 

0 

I 

2 

I 

I 

2 

I 


2 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 

I 


2 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 

2 

0 

I 


I 

I 

2 

I 

0 

2 

I 

I 

0 

I 


I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

0 0 

I 


0 

I 

I 

2 

2 

2 

I 

I 

0 0 


I 

0 

I 

2 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 

I 


2 

0 

2 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I- 

-82 

I 

I 

2 

2 

i 

I 

I 

0 

I 

I 


I 

I 

0 

2 

0 

2 

2 

I 

I 

2 


0 

I 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

0 


0 

I 

I 

I 

I 

2 

I 

I 

2 

I 


I 

I 

0 

2 

0 

0 

I 

I 

I 

I- 

-81 


66 


[ The Chicago Field says,^ 

‘‘On Saturday, Aug. 7, we had the good fortune to witness the 
finest and most exciting match shoot it has fallen to our lot to 
come across. 

Lucas having beaten Price badly in the first match, staked $200 
to $100 on this one, although Price openly stated that it was 
lost from defective cartridges, but Lucas making such a splendid 
and unequaled score (except by Bogardus) of 91 in the match 
last week as recorded in your last issue, he was quite confident 
that he could win anyhow. 

The birds (supplied by Judy) were every one old and wild 
ones and having been carefully kept in St. Louis for ten days and 
only caught two hours before the match, were the best lot I have 
ever seen leave the traps. The tails were all cropped, as in England, 
and it proved unmistakably that they fly much faster and more 
regular in consequence. The new ground traps, Bogardus-Rimell 
pattern, acted admirably ; and the use again of Lucas and Price's 
setter and pointer in the retrieving the dead birds, pleased the 
spectators amazingly. Lucas used a choked Parker gun, and 
Price an English London gun, first barrel open with concentra- 
tor, second choked. Both used Dittmar in first barrel. Price 
used Orange Lightning in second. 

It will be seen by the score that Price got 35 of his 37 first 
birds and was 5 birds ahead at that time, but Lucas picked up 
so wonderfully that it was a tie at the 70th bird. At the 80th 
round Lucas was one bird ahead, but at the 90th bird it was 
again a tie, and the match became most exciting. Both men 
missed two in the next five, and as they were on level terms at the 
95th round, it looked very much like being a tie ; but Lucas got 
his 96th, such a straight-away, twisting hawk-like flyer that 
even the mighty Bogardus would have let it go away without 
any discredit, and it just lost him the match, as Price, shooting 
with great coolness at the finish, scored seven of his last eight and 
thus brought off the two to one chance and won one of the very 
finest matches ever seen. There were only 4 incomers in the 
whole 2 ock" 


67 


CAPT. BOGARDUS AND SON EUGENE VS. JOSEPH 

D. LUCAS & GYWNNE PRICE. 

AT ST. LOUIS, SEPTEMBER 27, 1880. 

|~ Pro7?i. St, Louis Re publican, 

“The sportsmen of St. Louis turned out in fair numbers yester- 
day afternoon to witness a pigeon-shooting match at the Grand 
avenue base ball park, between Capt. A. H. Bogardus, champ- 
ion shot of the world, and his son Eugene, aged 15 years, against 
Joseph D. Lucas and Gwynne Price, two crack St. Louis shots. 

The match was for a purse -of $250, at fifty birds each, from 
ground traps, five yards apart. The contest brought together 
about 300 persons, mostly gentlemen interested in field sports. 
The interest manifested was great, but there was very little noisy 
demonstration, and the affair was conducted in the most orderly 
manner. 

The shooting was according to English rules, the traps being 
sprung by an assistant and decided by the throwing of dice. Capt. 
Bogardus stood at 31 yards, his son Eugene at 28 yards, and 
Messrs. Price and Lucas at 30 yards each. The birds were re- 
covered by two fine dogs, one belonging to Mr. Price and the 
other to Mr. Lucas. A finer 

PAIR OF RETRIEVERS 

Never ran over a field, and as they bounded off after the wound- 
ed birds they excited the admiration of everybody. Mr. W. W. 
Judy acted as referee, and gave entire satisfaction by his impartial 
decisions. All birds that fell within the enclosure were counted. 
Those that went over or alighted upon the fence were counted as 
lost, no matter on which side they fell. 

Capt. Bogardus and his son used the same gun, a ten-pound 
“Scott” breech-loader. No. 10 calibre. He used Dittmar pow- 
der in the first barrel and Orange Lightning in the second. Mr. 
Lucas used a weapon of the same weight and calibre, of Parker’s 
make, and Price used a “Price” gun of splendid finish. It was 
noticed that Capt. Bogardus’ gun made a loud, heavy report 
while that of Mr. Lucas was sharper and more defined in its ring. 
The discharge of Mr. Price’s weapon sounded clear and distinct 
like a rifle. The shooting of Price all the way through was very 


68 '• 

* • 

good, though the scores of all the contestants were by no means 
phenomenal. The weather at the beginning of the shooting was 
not very favorable. There was 

A DULL LEADEN SKY, 

And the smoke from the North St. Louis factories drifted over the 
park, making it not altogether the best atmosphere for the quick 
sight required to bring down swift- winged pigeons. The birds 
generally behaved well, all with two or three exceptions leaving 
the trap quickly when released. With the exception of Price, a 
second barrel was generally emptied before the birds fell. His 
delivery was quite and deadly. Bogardus at the outset shot wild, 
emptying both barrels at the first four birds, but bringing only 
one of the four down. The first shot was decided by the toss of a 
penny, and Lucas won. Eugene followed Lucas, then Price, 
with Bogardus last. Lucas led off, bringing down his first bird 
with one barrel. Eugene also killed his first but used both bar— 
rels. Price followed killing his bird at the first crack of his gun, 
the bird falling near the trap. Capt. Bogardus missed. Lucas fol- 
lowed up his first success killing 

SEVEN BIRDS 

In successsion. Price kept up the spirits of the backers of the 
St. Louis team by bringing down seven also without missing. 
Eugene missed every other bird killing only five out of the first 
ten, and his father only killed seven out of the first ten. The . 
stock of the St. Louis team went up as the score was announced ^ 
and bets of $5 to $3 were offered on the St. Louis cracks, with 
no takers. But the game was not over. About this time the clouds 
dispersed and the sun shone out clear and bright. The captain 
and Eugene both began to improve their score somewhat, though 
when 25 birds had been shot at by each man Price and Lucas 
were 5 birds ahead, the score being 40 for St. Louis and 35 for 
Bogardus. From this period to the close Bogardus steadily 
gained, making one score of ten and another of eleven without 
missing. As the contest neared the end the St. Louis team was 
found to be 

ONLY ONE BIRD 

Ahead. Lucas had missed six birds out of ten while Eugene 
had killed nine. Price, however, was holding his own well.. 


•69 


taking care of the champion and keeping the St. Louis score a 
bird ahead. Eugene missed his 48th bird, making the score 
equal. Then the captain missed, giving St. Louis the advantage. 
Lucas however missed, his 49th shot, putting the tally equal 
again. On the last round every man brought down his bird 
amidst the applause of the audience, which had become greatly 
excited by the closeness of the contest. It was generally believed 
by the crowd that St. Louis had won by a single bird, but the tally 
of the referee and the official score-keeper both agreed, the score 
footing up 73 birds killed on each side. The following was 

THE SCORE : 

Price — 1 1 1 1 1 1 100 loi iiiiioiiiiiiiiiiioiroiiioiiiiii 1001 1 
III; total, 41. 

Lucas— 1 1 1 1 1 1 loooi 1001 1 loi loi loooiooi mi loiooiooi 1 1 1 1 1 
01 ; total, 32. 

Eugene — loioioiooioi loiiioioiiiiiiiioi noiioi 1001 01 1 1 r 
01 1 1 ; total, 34. 

Capt. Bogardus — ooioi 1 1 r 1 1001 1 loi 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1001 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
loiiioiioii ; total, 39. 

Price, 41 ; Lucas, 32; total, 73. Bogardus, 39; Eugene. 34; 
total, 73. 

Incomers 2. 

A TIE. 

Mr. Judy, referee, announced the match a tie, and declared 
all outside bets off. Capt. Bogardus at once offered to shoot 
the match off at twenty-five birds each at once, or to put up $100 
and shoot on the Wednesday of Fair week, October 6, at eleven 
o’clock A. M. The latter proposition was agreed to, and the 
contest ended for the present. 


SECOND MATCH BETWEEN BOGARDUS & SON, 
AGAINST J. D. LUCAS AND GWYNNE PRICE. 

AT ST. LOUIS, OCT. 6, l88o., 

[From SL Louis Globe- Defnocr at 
BOGY AND HIS BOY. 

The Champion and his Son Win a Creditable Victory, 

•‘■.There was a marked improvement in the attendance at the 
grounds of the St. Louis Sportmen’s Club on Grand Avenue 


70 


yesterday, the principal attraction being the four-handed contest 
between Capt. Bogardus and his son Eugene and Messrs. Joseph 
D. Lucas and Gwynne Price of St. Louis. Eleven o’clock was 
the hour fixed for the start, but as the trains were behind time the 
wild birds provided for the match did not reach the grounds until 
nearly an hour later, necessitating a slight delay. Better birds were 
never trapped, and the annoyance was therefore atoned for. It 
lacked just five minutes of 12 when the world’s champion, who 
had lost the toss stepped to the string 

TO OPEN THE CONTEST. 

which was shot under English rules, ground traps, use of both 

barrels. The Captain stood at 31 yards, his opponents at 30, and 

Master Eugene at 28. Mr. Price was in no condition to shoot. 

Since the last match, when he out-shot all his companions, Mr. 
• 

Price has been suffering from a severe attack of ague, and that he 
was sick his haggard appearance plainly manifested. This illness 
undoubtedly cost St. Louis the match, as had Price been anything 
like himself his score would have improved sufficiently to secure 
victory. As it was, he and his partner were beaten by two birds 
only, although luck was against them throughout the struggle. 
Lucas, as usual, led off magnificently, killing ten straight. He 
missed his eleventh, twelfth and fifteenth birds, and wound up 
with a clear string of ten. Had Joe done equally well on the 
occasion of the last meeting, victory would have been credited 
to St. Louis. Some of his long shots with the second barrel were 
simply marvelous. Eugene Bogardus divided the honors with 
Mr. Lucas, his score at 28 yards being highly creditable for one 
so young. The old gentleman can thank his son for saving the 
day. Capt. Bogardus missed five of his twenty-five birds, kill- 
ing from the seventh to the eighteenth inclusive, consecutively, 
which was the longest string of the match. It will be noticed that 
Mr. Price improved towards the end ; one curious fact t)eing that 
all of his birds except two fell to the first barrel. Mr. W. W. 
Judy gave general satisfaction as referee, and Secretary Swander 
attended to the scoring. 

THE CONTEST. , 

The champion led off with a lost bird, his hammerless gun hav* 
ing been carelessly left bolted. Price killed with his first barrel 


71 


and so did Lucas, but Eugene’s bird got away minus a fist full of 
feathers. As Price, whose recent severe illness evidently told on 
him, missed his third and fourth birds in succession, the score at 
the close of the fourth round was a tie. Price’s fifth, a tailer, also 
got away. Eugene in this round killed the first incomer of the 
match and Lucas dropped a swift flying tailer in splendid style. A 
second miss was charged to the champion in the sixth round, a 
comparatively easy bird evading both barrels ; and his son missed 
at his ninth essay. In the meantime the St. Louis men kept on 
killing right along until the tenth round, when Price again lost a 
bird, the score at the close of this stage remaining a tie at sixteen 
each, Lucas having killed ten straight, the champion and his son 
eight each and the Englishman six. Luck was against Lucas at 
his eleventh attempt, the bird falling dead in the garden. Had it 
flown iaany other direction it would have been scored. Joe’s 
twelfth, howevei , was a clean miss and the Bogardus family were 
in the van by two birds. Lucas furnished the next miss, for his 
fifteenth bird, although hit with both barrels succeeded in getting 
over the fence. Price, after killing six straight, lost his seven- 
teenth bird, and it was then dollars to doughnuts that the St. 
Louis team was beaten. They were four birds behind and the 
end was drawing nigh. Bogardus and his son were working so 
steadily that when twenty birds each had been shot at, the score 
stood at 35 to 31 in their favor, the boy leading with 18, his father 
and Lucas following with seventeen each, and Price bringing up 
the rear with fourteen. Young Bogardus, after knocking over 
eleven birds in succession, lost his twenty first, and as the old 
man followed suit, the St. Louis couple were but two behind, ^ 
with three birds each to shoot at. Price staggered his twenty- 
third, a very strong bird, with each barrel, and considerable 
sympathy was manifested for the unlucky marksman when the 
pigeon carried the load over the fence. The champion lost his 
last bird but one, and when the final round was entered on he and 
his son were two ahead. As all killed, the score remained un- 
changed at the close, Bogardus adding another important victory 
to the long list already credited to him: 




THE SCORE. 


Bogardus, Sr. 
011 ** 0 * 1 * * — 8 
I I I r I 1 1 * o I — (j 
I o I o I — 3. 

Total, 20. 

Bogardus, Jr. 
0*1111**0 I — 8 

I j * * I I * I I 1 — lo 

o I * I I — 4 

Total, 22; gr’d total, 42. 

* Killed with second barrel. 
Incomers, i. ” 


Price. 

I I o o o I i I I o — 6. 
1111*1001 I — 8 . 
*1011 — 4. 

Total, 18. 

Lucas. 

i*i**ii*ii — 10. 
001 10**1 I *— 7. 
I * I I I — 5. 

Total, 22, gr’d total, 40. 


SWEEPSTAKES SHOOT UNDER ENGLISH RULES 

AT ST. LOUIS. 

A large number of first rate sportsmen and pigeon shots from 
all parts of the Western States being in St. Louis on the 
occasion of the Dog Show and" Fair, several solicited Capt. W. 
W. Judy, Vice President of the Sportsmen’s Club, to get up a 
shoot under English rules, on the morning of the match 
between Bogardus and Hauworth. Judy had on hand some fine 
old tame birds, consequently some splendid practice was made. 
Gwynne Price was referee, and his Sancho brought in the birds. 
There was no handicap, all shooting at 30 yards, therefore some 
few stood but very little chance. 

Price’s improved English model traps were used. 

Winners of first prizes were Abe Kleinman, W. W. Judy, 
Herschey, (2) Turrell and Black. 

Winners of second prizes Franke, Cogswell and Tucker. 

Winners of third prizes Black (3) and Judy. 

At the conclusion, the shooters expressed to Mr. Judy their un- 
qualified approbation of the English rules and ground traps, 
and hoped to see them generally adopted in preference to the 
plunge trap. 


I 


78 

MATCH BETWEEN CAPT. E. E. STUBBS AND 

GWYNNE PRICE, 

AT Little Rock, Ark. November 24, 1880. 

The largest score 011 record 'at tame birds, English rules. 

[From the Chicago I^ield.~\ 

The match between Capt. E. E. Stubbs, of Gainesville, 
Ark., and Gwynne Price, the English wing shot, orf St. Louis, 
Mo., took place here November 34, 1880, and resulted in the 
defeat of Mr. Price, with the extraordinary score of 48 out of 50, 
against 45, and which would have been increased to 49 to 48, if 
the boundary had been a full 80 yards, instead of, in some places, 
only 60 yards, Stubbs having one dead out of the bounds, and 
Price three. The birds were very strong and healthy tame ones, 
every one old and selected, supplied by W. W. Judy, of St. 
Louis, and although a few hung on the traps, they were very fast 
and difficult to make a score with. Conditions, 30 yards rise, 
from five of Price’s new English model ground traps, five yards 
apart, English rules. 

Beale Hempstead, of the State Treasurer’s office, was referee: 
Dr. Wall, from Green county, was the official scorer, and young 
Trumpler, the gunsmith, pulled the traps, which were decided by 
dice. Capt* Stubbs used a W. W. Greener gun, io| lbs. 10 bore, 
32 inch barrel ; and Price an English gun. Price ]L.ondon, 9J lbs. 
10 bore, 30 inch barrel, Dittmar and Orange Lightning Powder. 

The dead birds were brought in by a very clever retrieving 
pointer belonging to Mr. Price, and he did his work admirably. 

It was intended to shoot another match under same conditions 
in a day or two afterwards, but the weather was so unfavorable 
that it was abandoned, although we wer^ all most anxious to see 
another trial between these celebrated shots. Bogardus will have 
to look out to keep the championship of the world.” 


74 


RIFLE SHOOTING IN THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE 

AFTER THE PIGEON MATCH. 

Nov. 27, 1880. 

[From the Little Rock Gazette,~\ 

REMARKABLE EXHIBITION OF SKILL WITH THE SHOT GUN AND 

RIFLE. 

Last night, at the Grand Opera House, Captain Stubbs gave 
a specimen of his skill as a marksman, to a select audience. 
A large screen had been put up at the right wing, and the cap- 
tain, standing at the opposite side of the stage, performed a series 
of shots which have never been equaled in Little Rock. The 
first feat was shooting at glass balls with a shot gun. The balls 
were thrown by himself, and out of ten, in the uncertain glitter 
of the gas light, the unerring marksman shattered nine. He then 
changed to a rifle, and throwing the glass balls in the air, hit 
eight out of ten. After this, the champion turning the rifle upside 
down, and resting the butt on his head, shot at the glass balls as 
Capt. Gwynne Price threw them in the air. Out of ten balls 
thus thrown he shattered eight. The next feat was the most 
remarkable of all. Taking his rifle and throwing the ball in the 
air, he missed it with the first shot and shattered it into a thou- 
sand pieces with the second shot of his rifle. He then shot at 
ten balls against time, and shattered nine out of ten in half a 
minute. Lord Lymington, of London, who was in the audience, 
expressed himself in flattering terms of the skill of Capt. Stubbs. 
The exhibition will be repeated to-night at the same place, and 
all who desire to see a wonderful display of skill should attend.’’ 




RULES 

FOR 

PIGEON SHOOTING 

FROM 

FIVE GROUND TRAPS, 

BY 

G WYNNE PRICE, 

Sportsmen’s Club, St. Louis, Mo. 

:o: 

The following rules for pigeon shooting from five ground 
traps, have been very carefully compiled ; and it is claimed they 
will more fnlly meet all requirements, than any before publish- 
ed. 

It will be observed that the shooter has been given the benefit 
of any error or doubt, where interference or wrong doing is sus- 
pected. 

Thus, if two birds are loosed instead of one, it is calculated to 
mislead him ; so that if he shoots and kills, the bird is scored ; 
but if he misses he will have another bird, because it may have 
been done purposely to annoy or baffle him. 

Again, if a bird refuses to fly in moderate time^ the party sup- 
plying it should bear the loss as he is paid for good birds. 

It should be clearly understood that it is no part of the duty of 
a contestant to challenge any bird, or in fact any condition. 

It is absolutely the business of the referee to conduct the whole 
shooting, to notice the holding of the gun, and carry out the gen- 
eral rules, and more than anything, to see that the bird is fully and 


' % s 


76 


I 


fuirly on the wing when shot at, not merely struggling along the 
ground using wi?igs and legs^ but to be legitimately flyings and 
if not killed under such circumstances, another bird should be 
ordered. Also to have every bird gathered before giving his de- 
cision. But if a shooter wilfully shoots at a sitting bird with his 
first barrel, it should be scored a lost bird. 

All minor matters, such as interference with the shooter or 
shooting at a bird by a scout, must be left entirely to the referee 
to decide according to circumstances. His decisions being subject 
to revision, if unfairly given, as per rule 39. 

Apropos of guns and ammunition, the following rule recently 
adopted by the Hurlingham Gun Club, of London, will not find 
many admirers in the United States : ‘‘After June 17th, the weight 
of guns shall be limited to 7 pounds 8 ounces, the charge of pow- 
der to be limited to 3 1-3 drachms, and soft shot only to be used ; 
no chilled shot or concentrators to be allowed.’’ 

Rule i. Traps, How Placed, — Shooting to be from five 
ground traps, placed five yards apart, the centre trap in a direct 
line in front of the shooter, and if practicable, the traps so. 
placed that the birds will have the benefit of the wind behind 
them. 

Rule 3. Traps, How Pulled, — The number of the trap 
pulled to be decided by die, or by wads marked r to 5, drawn by 
the referee, after the shooter has advanced to the score, and shown 
privately to puller. 

Rule 3. Traps, When Pulled, — When ready, the shooter 
shall pull,, and the trap shall be instantly opened. 

Rule 4. Pulling, Falsely, — If froni any cause more than - 
one bird shall be loosed at the same time, and one or more be 
killed, one bird shall be scored, and if missed, another bird shall 
be allowed fiee of cost. 

Rule 5. Pulling. Notice, — If the trap is pulled before 
proper notice from the shooter, he may take or refuse the bird ; but 
if he shoots,, he must abide by the consequences. 

Rule 6. Holdmg Gun. — The gun shall be held fairly down 
from the shoulder, until the word pull is given ; and the bird shall 
be shot at when fully on the wing^ with the first barrel ; after 


77 


which the second barrel may be used as the shooter likes, without 
leaving his position. 

Rule 7. Bird, Fly mg . — Should the bird refuse to fly in 
moderate time., the referee shall, if requested by the shooter, call 
a no bird., and another shall be trapped without cost, and the die 
thrown again. 

Rule 8. Bird on Ground. — A bird deliberately shot at on the 
ground with the first barrel shall be scored lost ; but the referee 
may order another bird, at the shooter’s expense, if he has any 
doubt. 

Rule 9. Size of Gun . — Guns shall not exceed ii -bore for 
muzzle-loaders, and lo-bore for breech loaders. 

Rule 10. Shot Charge. — Charge of shot shall not exceed 
oz. Dixon’s full measure 1006.01* 1007 ; and no wire cartridges 
shall be used. 

Rule ii. Shot Challenge. — Any contestant may challenge 
the loading of a shooter as he goes to the score, and shall deposit 
five dollars as a guarantee of good faith. If the charge is found 
to be unfair, the shooter shall be disqualified ; but if his gun was 
properly loaded, he shall be entitled to the five dollars so de- 
posited. 

Rule 12. Shot Marks. — A bird shot at when fairly on the 
wing, and gathered, shall not be challenged for shot marks. 

Rule 13. Miss-Fire. — A miss-fire will be considered no shot., 
provided the gun is properly loaded and cocked, and another bird 
shall be trapped at shooter’s cost. 

Rule 14. Miss-Fire., First Barrel. — If the first barrel miss- 
fire, and the second barrel is used, the bird shall be scored ; or if 
the second barrel miss-fire, another bird shall be had at the 
shooter’s cost ; the first barrel being fired with powder only after 
the bird is on the wing. 

Rule 15. Gathering . — Every bird must be gathered by hand 

after each shot, either by the shooter or his deputy, in reasonable 
time, and without going over the boundary line. If a dog is 
used, the bird shall be scored if once fairly caught, and if the 
bird should perch within the boundary, the shooter or deputy may 
assist the dog. 


78 


Rule i6. Boundary , — If the enclosure is the boundary, and 
a bird closes his wings on top of the fence, or reaches the roof or 
cover of any fixed erection inside the grounds higher than the 
fence, it is a lost bird. 

Rule 17. Boundary,^ Doubtful , — Should a bird fall within 
the boundary, and the referee be unable to decide whether it 
has been over the line, he may order another bird at shooter^s 
expense. 

Rule 18. Bine for Shooting , — Shooting at a bird within the 
boundary before it shall have been scored lost, by any other than 
the shooter, without his consent,^ shall be punishable by a fine of 
five dollars, and added to the first prize. 

Rule 19. Unloading Guns , — The gun shall not be fully 
loaded, or capped, until the shooter is at the mark; and if the 
second barrel is not used, it must be uncapped or unloaded before 
returning. 

Rule 20. Danger , — If a bird flies so that to shoot in proper 
time would endanger life or property, the referee may order 
another bird without cost. 

Rule 21. Double Birds , — In shooting at two birds, they may 
be loosed from one or two traps. Both birds may be killed at one 
shot, if on the wing. It is not necessary for both birds to be fly- 
ing at the same time; but if the second bird refuses to fly, two 
others shall be trapped without cost. The distance should be by 
handicap, each shooter going in five yards nearer than at single 
bird shooting. 

Rule 22. Distances , — Shooting to be all at a given distance, 
or by a handicap of from 24 to 30 yards rise, according to merit. 
A winner of any sweepstakes with five or more shooters, shall be 
put back one yard for each and every win during that day, until 
he shall have reached the 30 yards limit, and if any shooter at 30 
yards wins a like prize, the others shall go in one yard. 

Rule 23. Entry , — No person shall be allowed to join in a 
sweepstakes after the first bird in the second round shall have 
been shot at, unless he arrived on the grounds too late to enter at 
proper time, and then only by consent of fhe majority of the 
contestants. v 


79 


Rule 24. Position on Card. — The position of the shooters 
shall be decided by drawing, if demanded., and each round shot 
through in regular order ; any shooter not being ready in reason- 
able time, shall forfeit his right in the mateh. 

Rule 25. Sweepstakes. — Sweepstakes of $i to be miss and 
out; $2, 3 birds each, one miss wait; and $5, 6 birds each, two 
misses wait. 

Rule 26. Winning’ Penalty. — A winner of a prize of $100 
or more, at one time, shall be put back one yard in his regular 
handicap for every such win. 

Rule 27. Ties. — All ties, except in matches, when all bets 
are off., are to be shot off same time, same number of birds, and 
same distances, unless mutually agreed to be miss and out, or 
divideil ; a majority in the ties to rule. 

Rule 28. Division of Stakes. — Moneys to be divided be- 
tween the three best shots^ in the proportion of 50, 30 and 20 
percent., after deducting cost of birds. 

Rule 29. Appeal. — The decision of the referee shall at all 
times be upheld, unless on a question of fact or conslrtiction of 
the rules., a majority of three-fifths of the shooters shall be in 
favor of the appellant, by a private ballot, taken by the scorer on 
> the spot, and before another bird is shot at. 

These rules are published in a separate form for the pocket. 
Mailed free for 5 cents, stamps, by Gwynne Price, St. Louis, 
Mo. 


A. R. FLEMING, Book and Job Printer, No. 305 N. Third Street. 





NEW ENGLISH-MODEL 



FOR PIGEON SHOOTING. 


(See Sketch of the Traps on Cover.) 


This trap is so constructed that the bird is put in at the 
back, and is obliged to remain with the head to the front, 
until the trap is pulled over. Consequently nearly every 
one ‘will be drivers or straight-away birds. 

In the Bogardus-liimell matches in July, in New York 
and Pittsburgh, out of nearly 600 birds shot at, only 5 came 
within the circle of the traps ; and in the Lucas-Price 
matches, at St. Louis, Mo., out of 400 birds only 7 were 
incomers . 

A set of five ground traps, in solid sheet iron, hand- < 
made, with ten double hinges on each trap, painted and 
numbered 1 to 5 ; ten iron stakes, and one ring stake to 
concentrate the pulling cords; 175 yards best trot-line 
rope ; and 5 wood handles, complete, for $10. The price 
is put very low to encourage private practice. 

Set of 7 ground studs, for handicap shooting marks, 
numbered 24 to 30 inclusive, solid sheet iron, painted 
black, with 5 niches to drop the pulling cords over, $2. 

GWYNNE PRICE, 

ST. LOUIS, MO. 

O. & w.. Me CLEAN, 

» 

Gun Store, 

■ \ 


ST. LOUIS, MO.. 



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AND Tr>p Shooting, I Appendix, 

By CAPT. a. H. BOGAEDUS. 


A Practical Book of Information and In- 
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Haunts and Habits^ and the most effect- 
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Correct Syste?n of Using the Dog 

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This book contains the knowledge acquired by Captain A. H. 
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twenty-five years, all spent in the field, on the prairie, in the cover and by 
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NEW AND POPULAR SPORTING WORK, 

Fra\k Foi[estei{s Fugitive SpoRTif Sketches, 


EDITED BY WILL WILDWOOD. 


• 

This work embraces the finest of Frank PoresieF s fugitive essays on 
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TESTIMONIALS. 


it appeals to the highest sentiments of the sportsman. ^‘GLOAN.” 
(Hon. Thos. A. Logan.) 

I could wish it were in the hands of every sportsman. “BOONE.” 

It has afforded me the most delightful interest. Maj. GEO. 
B. HALSTED. 

The introduction to the “Sketches” is well conceived and happy, and 
the work is well calculated to inspire the younger generation to seek a 
closer acquaintance with his other works. H. H. S. 

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